Published for Northwestern Wildcats fans — October 2026
By Toxlay Sports Editorial Team · Last updated October 24, 2026
🐾 Northwestern Wildcats Fans — Your ‘Cats Are Waiting!
Purple and white on the shores of Lake Michigan. The Wildcats women’s tennis team is built on a wave of brilliant first-years — a top-100 singles star, a team-leading winner and an all-round standout rewriting the freshman record books. Get ready to wear the purple.
The Club
The Northwestern Wildcats are Northwestern University’s women’s tennis team, competing in the Big Ten and playing home matches in Evanston, Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. The story of this team is youth: the 2025-26 season was powered by first-years who did not play like first-years at all, led by a No. 1 singles player back in the national top 100. The colors are purple and white, and the motto says it all: GO ‘CATS. Searching for the Northwestern Wildcats roster, the Wildcats schedule or Northwestern tennis tickets? This is the place to start — and the purple-and-white kit is the way to wear it.
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Last Season: The First-Years Took Over
The 2025-26 season belonged to Northwestern’s newcomers. Margot Phanthala took over the No. 1 singles court as a first-year and climbed to No. 90 in the ITA singles rankings — the first Wildcat in the singles top 100 since April 2025 — earning a unanimous place on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and the most No. 1 singles wins by a Wildcat first-year since at least 2019. Around her, the class kept producing: Autumn Rabjohns, playing primarily at No. 3 singles, tied the team lead with 12 singles wins at 12-4, and Marelie Raath piled up a team-high 21 total wins — 10 in singles and 11 in doubles — the most by a Wildcat first-year since Sydney Pratt’s 24 in 2022.
That is the shape of this program now: young, fearless and already winning at the top of a Big Ten lineup. The Wildcats did not rebuild in 2025-26 — they reloaded, with first-years doing the jobs seniors usually do. The seasons ahead are about turning that freshman brilliance into conference contention, and the trio at the heart of it is only getting started.
Best Players Right Now
Margot Phanthala, No. 1 Singles Star — The headliner. Phanthala took the top singles court as a first-year, reached No. 90 in the ITA singles rankings — the first Wildcat in the top 100 since April 2025 — and earned unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors with the most No. 1 singles wins by a Wildcat first-year since at least 2019. She is the player the lineup is built around.
Autumn Rabjohns, Top Singles Player — The reliable winner. Playing primarily at No. 3 singles, Rabjohns tied the team lead with 12 singles wins in 2025-26, finishing 12-4. In dual matches, where the middle courts decide so many afternoons, Rabjohns was the player Northwestern could count on.
Marelie Raath, All-Round Standout — The do-everything first-year. Raath’s team-high 21 total wins in 2025-26 — 10 in singles and 11 in doubles — were the most by a Wildcat first-year since Sydney Pratt’s 24 in 2022. Singles, doubles, whatever the team needed: Raath delivered it.
Star Spotlight: Stories You Should Know
The top 100, again. Northwestern had waited since April 2025 for another singles player in the national top 100. Phanthala ended that wait as a first-year, playing the toughest court in the lineup against the Big Ten’s best. That is not a promising start — that is an arrival.
A class for the record books. Three first-years, three different kinds of brilliance: the most No. 1 singles wins by a Wildcat first-year since at least 2019, a share of the team singles lead, and the most total wins by a first-year in four years. Classes like this do not come around often, and Evanston knows it.
The Big Ten is the proving ground. There are no easy weekends in the Big Ten, and Northwestern’s young trio learned that up close in 2025-26. The next step is turning individual brilliance into team wins against the conference’s ranked powers — and this group looks built for exactly that climb.
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This Season: From Brilliance to Contention
This season is about the next step. The 2025-26 first-years proved they belong at the top of a Big Ten lineup; now the question is how far that group can take Northwestern as a team. Phanthala at the top court, Rabjohns winning in the middle and Raath contributing everywhere give the Wildcats a core with no obvious hole — and a year of Big Ten experience behind them. The usual shape of the year holds: the fall ITA circuit, including the ITA All-American Championships and the ITA Midwest Regional, followed by the spring dual season in Evanston, where the conference weekends decide everything.
Mark Your Calendar: The Road Ahead
Wildcats fans, one honest note before the dates: the 2026-27 schedule had not been published at the time of writing, so no fixtures are listed here. When Northwestern publishes the schedule, this guide will be updated with every home date in Evanston and every Big Ten weekend. Until then, the rhythm to expect is the familiar one — fall ITA events, then the spring dual season, with the in-state clash against Illinois and the Big Ten weekends against the conference’s ranked powers circled first.
Biggest Rivalries — The Wars
1. Illinois — the in-state war. The Illini are the Big Ten rivals just down the road, and Northwestern-versus-Illinois duals carry in-state bragging rights on top of conference stakes. For a young Wildcats team, beating Illinois is the first statement win to chase.
2. Michigan and Ohio State — the Big Ten summit. The conference’s traditional powers set the bar in the Big Ten, and Northwestern’s seasons are measured against them. The trio’s freshman brilliance was the first step; beating the league’s elite is the next one.
3. The ranked Big Ten field — every weekend is a war. In the Big Ten there are no soft weekends, and the Wildcats’ young core learned that in 2025-26. Every conference dual is a chance to prove the freshman season was a beginning, not a peak.
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🌟 Star in Focus: Margot Phanthala
Margot Phanthala took the No. 1 singles court as a first-year and climbed to No. 90 in the ITA singles rankings — the first Wildcat in the national top 100 since April 2025.
Her unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection and her haul of No. 1 singles wins — the most by a Wildcat first-year since at least 2019 — marked her out as the program’s next star.
For ‘Cats fans, Phanthala is the future arriving early — and the reason to believe in this team.
Photo: NUSports.com
Frequently Asked Questions
When do the Northwestern Wildcats play next?
The Wildcats’ 2026-27 schedule had not been published at the time of writing. Northwestern plays its home matches in Evanston, Illinois.
Where do the Northwestern Wildcats play?
The Wildcats play their home matches in Evanston, Illinois. The team colors are purple and white, and the motto is GO ‘CATS.
Who are the Northwestern Wildcats star players?
The star trio is Margot Phanthala (No. 1 singles star), Autumn Rabjohns (top singles player) and Marelie Raath (all-round standout).
Where can I buy Northwestern Wildcats fan gear?
Toxlay Sports offers fan-inspired apparel for Wildcats supporters. Note that fan-inspired apparel is not official Northwestern licensed merchandise.
Sources: Northwestern University Athletics (nusports.com) 2025-26 season reporting and ITA rankings — schedules and rosters checked October 2026.
GO ‘CATS — young, fearless, and just getting started in Evanston.
