Northwestern Women’s Tennis Faces Indiana and Purdue This Weekend

EVANSTON, Ill. — The Northwestern Wildcats women’s tennis team is set to host a pair of Big Ten matches this weekend, welcoming Indiana on Saturday, March 21, at noon CT and Purdue on Sunday, March 22, at 3 p.m. CT.

Recent Performance

Northwestern (8-6, 1-2 Big Ten) recently fell to Illinois in a close contest, 4-3. A key victory in that match came in doubles play, where sophomore Erica Jessel and first-year Margot Phanthala secured the point after defeating the No. 86-ranked doubles team in the country, even while saving a match point.

In singles action against Illinois, sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman achieved a 6-3, 6-1 win at the No. 4 position, and Jessel mounted a comeback victory at No. 6 singles with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Doubles Rankings

Phanthala and Jessel have climbed to No. 27 in the national doubles rankings, becoming the fifth-highest-ranked duo in the Big Ten. The pair boasts a 6-1 record together this season and represents the highest-ranked Wildcat doubles team since September 5, 2023, when Christina Hand and Justine Leong held the No. 26 ranking. They have secured two wins against ranked doubles teams and are currently on a four-match winning streak.

Dagan Fruchtman and junior Neena Feldman are ranked No. 81 nationally in doubles.

Singles Rankings and Individual Performances

Margot Phanthala is currently ranked No. 87 in the ITA singles rankings, making her the 16th-ranked player in the Big Ten. She is the first Northwestern player to break into the top 100 in singles rankings since April 1, 2025, when Sydney Pratt was ranked No. 99. Phanthala is also the second-highest-ranked first-year player in the conference and the first Wildcat first-year to be ranked in the top 100 since April 14, 2021, when Maria Shusharina was ranked No. 91.

Both Dagan Fruchtman and junior Autumn Rabjohns are tied for the team lead in singles wins with nine each. Dagan Fruchtman’s record stands at 9-4, a significant improvement from her 2-12 record last season. Rabjohns is 9-3 on the season, with two losses coming against nationally-ranked opponents, also surpassing her previous season’s record of 8-5.

First-year Marelie Raath leads the team in overall wins with 17, including seven singles wins and a 10-3 doubles record. Her 10 doubles wins are the most on the team. Raath’s seven singles wins are the most by a Northwestern first-year since Sydney Pratt recorded 12 in the 2022 dual season.

Series History

Northwestern holds a dominant 35-match winning streak against Indiana (11-4, 1-1 Big Ten), dating back to 1998. Indiana recently split its weekend, falling to Wisconsin before defeating Minnesota. Hi’ilani Williams leads the Hoosiers in singles wins with seven (7-1), and she has partnered with Ale Teodosescu to achieve a 12-2 record at No. 1 doubles.

The Wildcats also lead the all-time series against Purdue (6-5, 2-1 Big Ten) with a record of 48-1. Northwestern has won the last 12 matches against the Boilermakers since their only loss in program history in 2012. Ece Gence leads Purdue with a 9-2 record at the No. 1 singles position, while Kathryn Wilson has six wins (6-4) primarily at No. 5.

Upcoming Schedule

Following this weekend’s matches, Northwestern will embark on its penultimate road trip of the season, facing No. 21 Washington on Friday, March 27, at 6 p.m. CT and No. 64 Oregon on Sunday, March 29, at 1 p.m. CT.