NEW YORK – The No. 11 Columbia men's tennis team will be at home for the first time this season as the Lions welcome No. 12 Northwestern to the Columbia Tennis Center for a highly-anticipated ranked matchup. The Lions and Wildcats are set for a 6 p.m. first serve Friday in one of the highest-ranked matchups ever on Columbia's home court.
Fans attending the match must enter at the gate on 218th Street across from Seaman Avenue, and go through the main entrance. Doors will open at 11 a.m. both days. Parking at the Baker Athletics Complex is extremely limited. Lot D near the complex will be open during the match. The lot is located at 5122 Broadway. For directions and additional parking information, please
click here.
STARTING THE SEASON
The Lions are now 6-1 in dual matches this season. Columbia has won six-straight after dropping the season opener to Harvard. In their last time out, the Lions defeated Harvard, 4-3 in a rematch to win the ECAC Championship. Columbia also defeated Ivy League foes Dartmouth and Penn on the way to claiming the championship.
Columbia has also earned wins over Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, and Alabama this season as they have climbed up the rankings after starting the season at No. 22. Friday's match will be just one of three home matches during March for the Lions. Columbia will head to California during the university's spring break for matches against Santa Clara, No. 35 California, No. 45 Pepperdine, and No. 33 UCLA. The Lions return home for a doubleheader against Hofstra on March 25.
LIONS IN THE RANKINGS
Four singles players and one doubles group have remained in the ITA's player rankings this spring. First-year
Michael Zheng came in at No. 14 in the first singles rankings and is currently No. 8 in the most recent rankings. He is the highest ranked individual on the team.
Roko Horvat checks in at No. 39 in singles with a 4-1 record this spring.
Max Westphal moved up to No. 81 in the most recent singles rankings as he is 3-1 in spring dual matches.
Alex Kotzen rounds out the list of ranked singles players at No. 104. Kotzen is 6-1 this spring. Westphal and
Theo Winegar checked in at No. 11 in the doubles rankings, moving up five spots from the previous rankings where they were No. 16.
As a team, the Lions started the season ranked No. 22 in the ITA team rankings. Columbia jumped one spot up to No. 21 after the first week of dual action. The Lions then moved up to No. 19 and jumped to No. 11 after defeating Harvard to win the ECAC Championship. The team ranking marks the ninth year in a row that the Columbia men's tennis team has achieved a top-25 ranking.
THE MATCHUP
No. 12 Northwestern comes into Friday's match with a 9-4 dual record. The Wildcats have won two in a row after defeating Vanderbilt and UIC at home on Sunday. Northwestern has two top 25 wins this spring. The Wildcats have defeated No. 19 NC State and No. 25 Duke.
The Wildcats and Lions share two common opponents – Harvard and Alabama. Northwestern lost to Harvard, 5-2, and defeated Alabama, 4-2. The Lions lost one and won one against Harvard so far this season. Columbia cruised to a 7-0 sweep of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in February.
Northwestern has one singles player and one doubles group in the latest ITA rankings. Steven Forman is No. 50 in singles. The duo of Simen Bratholm and Ivan Yatsuk check in at No. 54 in doubles.
THOUGHTS FROM THE COACH
"It is a nice honor, but we don't really look so much at the national rankings," Bidyut K. Goswami Head Coach of Men's Tennis
Howard Endelman said. "We are just trying to see if we can develop at a faster rate every day. In the long run, the teams that get pretty good usually end up with solid national rankings. New assistant coach
Max Schnur ('15CC) has been terrific for the guys. Max understands our program and what it takes for players to improve at Columbia - both on the court and in the classroom. He did it himself all the way to the Main Draw of Wimbledon twice."
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Men's Tennis by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
