UIC will face Northern Kentucky for the second straight match, as the teams will play for the right to advance in the Horizon League tournament, Friday morning.

The Flames defeated the Norse, 5-2, in the regular season finale on Sunday.  That win locked UIC into the #4 seed and kept NKU a game behind them in fifth.  The quarterfinal matchup will be the rubber match between the teams, as the Norse picked up a 4-3 win in the first weekend of conference play.

UIC will look to the top of its lineup to provide a spark in the tournament opener.  Pelle Strandberg, who was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team on Thursday, went 2-0 against the Norse this season.  He won once each in the #1 and #2 flights, and Gustavo Schwebel also earned a victory at #2.  Further down the lineup, Ammar Wazir also went 2-0 in singles play against the Norse.

Northern Kentucky won the doubles point in both regular season meetings.  UIC has not won a doubles point since they topped regular season champion Youngstown State in two of the three doubles matchups on April 2.  Strandberg and Artem Iermolov did win one doubles set against NKU.  That kicked off a five-match winning streak for the pair.  Luiz Dos Santos has played consistently on the #1 doubles court, pairing with Franceso Tacconi and, recently, Schwebel.  A fast start in doubles play will not only give one team an early lead in the race to four points, but will set momentum heading into singles matchups.

The match will also be a rematch of the 2019 quarterfinal, won by UIC 4-1 on their way to the championship match.  Strandberg was a winner in doubles and singles play that day, and fellow senior Anthony Nguyen also competed at #4 singles.  The Flames are making their first appearance in the tournament since that run.

The tournament is being played at Michigan's facility, which includes outdoor and indoor courts, in Ann Arbor, Mich.  First serve will be at 10 a.m. Central, and live scoring will be available.