North by Northwestern

Men’s Tennis (@NUMensTennis)

Northwestern men’s tennis hosted the Wildcat Invitational this past weekend in the Combe Tennis Center in Evanston. Sophomore Alberto Zanotti and senior Sidarth Balaji competed for the ‘Cats. Zanotti went 3-0 in the tourney, while Balaji won his first two matches but dropped his third to Dan Mamalat of Marquette 7-5, 6-4.

Northwestern will play in the Big Ten Singles Tournament starting this Friday in Madison, Wis.

Player of the Week: Alberto Zanotti

Field Hockey (@NUFHCats)

Northwestern, the No. 9 field hockey team in the nation, fell to No. 12 Iowa 3-2 in overtime in Iowa City on Sunday in their regular season finale. Northwestern stormed out to a 2-0 halftime lead, but the Hawkeyes tied the game and then scored in the extra period to win the game.

Northwestern then headed back to Iowa City as the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They faced Indiana in the first round of the tournament Thursday but the ‘Cats fell to the Hoosiers 4-0 in this game, putting their NCAA Tournament aspirations in jeopardy.

If the team does not end up making the NCAAs, the senior class will still finish with 51 wins over the past four seasons, making them the winningest class in the last 20 years. Their defense has been stellar this season too, as the Wildcats lead the Big Ten with seven shutouts this season.

Senior Chelsea Armstrong was named to the NFHCA Division I Senior Game to be played in Norfolk, Va. on Nov. 17. With 29 goals and 65 points, she has become one of the most prolific scorers in the country. 

Players of the Week: Nikki Parsley and Tara Puffenberger

Women’s Golf (@NUGolf_Live)

NU’s women’s golf team traveled down to North Carolina for the 11th annual Landfall Tradition last weekend. The tournament was called early, however, as Hurricane Sandy approached the East Coast. (They did have the opportunity to meet Channing Tatum, though.) 

Northwestern finished the tournament tied for 10th place out of 17 competing teams. Sophomore Nicole Zhang finished best among the ‘Cats, shooting 73 (+1) on the first round of golf. This was the final fall competition for the ‘Cats, whose next tournament will take place from Feb. 10-12 at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.

Player of the Week: Nicole Zhang

Cross Country (@NUwildcatXC)

This past weekend, the women’s cross country team headed to Lansing, Mich. for the Big Ten Cross Country Championships. The ‘Cats finished in 7th place, matching their best finish since the 2002 season. Junior Michelle Moriset earned Northwestern’s top time in the 6000 meter team result, finishing in 20:54.

Player of the Week: Michelle Moriset

Volleyball (@NUVball)

This past week, Northwestern volleyball traveled to both Minnesota and Wisconsin. In the Minnesota game, they lost 3-1, but rebounded against Wisconsin with a 3-2 victory. The final game was a close one, decided 16-14 in the fifth and final set. Junior Stephanie Holthus scored her 13th double-double of the season (double-digits in two of five statistical categories), and surpassed 20 kills in a match for the seventh time this year.

Northwestern will face Indiana and Purdue at home this weekend. The ‘Cats are 4-8 since starting Big Ten play in late September.

Player of the Week: Stephanie Holthus

Women’s Soccer (@CatsWSoccer)

Northwestern women’s soccer finished the season on a three-game win streak in the Big Ten. The ‘Cats defeated Illinois, Iowa and most recently Michigan State.

Goalkeeper Anna Cassell had shutouts in 1-0 wins over Iowa and Michigan state and was named Big Ten Co-defensive Player of the Week. Cassell saved all six shots on goal against Michigan State.

Player of the Week: Anna Cassell

Men’s Soccer (@NUMensSoccer)

The men’s soccer team will have a chance to play for a piece of the Big Ten Title on Thursday night at Indiana. A win would give the ‘Cats sole possession of the conference regular season title.

Earlier in the week, the ‘Cats traveled to Madison to play the Wisconsin Badgers and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. It was the seventh shutout of the year for sophomore keeper Tyler Miller. 

Player of the Week: Tyler Miller