THE EVE EDITION
FIRST BLUSH | SUN OCT 11
Sunday runs from Beijing to Dallas. A teenager and an Olympic champion settle the China Open before most of the country is awake, and Chicago follows with defending champion Hawi Feysa and Brigid Kosgei, who set the world record on this course in 2019, at the front of the women’s marathon field. Kosgei owns the fastest personal best in the field, and Chicago’s flat course has produced a world or American record in each of the last four years.
The afternoon is built on rematches. Last year’s field hockey finalists meet again in New Jersey, Pitt gets an immediate second chance at the team that ended its home streak, and two conference soccer leaders take their runs on the road. Big Ten Network then fills the evening with ranked volleyball, and #3 Duke closes the field hockey day at #14 California.
#4 Mirra Andreeva vs. Qinwen Zheng
Mirra Andreeva reached her fifth final of the season by beating Nikola Bartůňková in straight sets, her 50th win of a year that has brought titles at Roland Garros, Adelaide and Linz. Qinwen Zheng took the longer road. The Olympic champion entered on a wild card, won three matches in three sets, advanced when Anna Kalinskaya retired in a deciding set, then found her cleanest tennis against #6 Elina Svitolina and #13 Elise Mertens. Their only previous tour meeting, a 2024 Beijing quarterfinal, went to Zheng from a set down.
EVE’s Edge: Andreeva in three sets. Zheng’s serve and the Diamond Court crowd can carry her through a set, but Andreeva is fresher and has handled every change of pace in this draw.
#2 Pitt at #6 SMU
Four days ago SMU went into the Petersen Events Center and beat Pitt 3-1, ending the nation’s longest home winning streak at 58 matches and handing the Panthers their first loss of 2026. Pitt won the first set 25-21 before SMU took the next three, and the swing came in a 38-36 third set. SMU setter Hannah Beauford had a career-high 54 assists. SMU hit .347 with five players in double-digit kills, led by Natalia Newsome and Suli Davis with 17 each. The Mustangs are 14-2, 5-0 in the ACC and riding a seven-match winning streak into Moody Coliseum.
EVE’s Edge: SMU in five. Pitt will serve tougher and pass cleaner than it did Wednesday, but the Mustangs’ balance and a home crowd should be enough to win the long sets again.
#1 Northwestern at #10 Princeton
Last year’s national final ended with Northwestern beating Princeton 2-1 in double overtime on Ilse Tromp’s goal, and the Wildcats have not lost since. They are 13-0 after Friday’s win over #6 Iowa, unanimous #1 for a seventh straight week, with Ashley Sessa coming off Big Ten and national Offensive Player of the Week honors. Princeton is 7-4 without Olympian Beth Yeager, Saylor Milone has four goals in her last five games, and all four losses came to top-10 teams in shootouts. The Tigers also own the last win in the series, 3-2 at Lakeside Field in October 2025.
EVE’s Edge: Northwestern, 3-1. Princeton keeps games close enough to reach shootouts, but the Wildcats’ depth in the circle should settle this one inside regulation.
#12 Texas Tech at TCU
Texas Tech is 8-0-4, alone atop the Big 12 at 4-0-1 and fresh off a 3-0 win at Oklahoma State built on three goals in 17 minutes. Taylor Zdrojewski leads the Red Raiders with eight goals, and goalkeeper Addie Todd’s seven clean sheets lead the conference. TCU, picked first in the preseason poll, is 5-5-1 after Thursday’s 2-1 home loss to UCF, though Emma Yolinsky has seven goals. TCU leads the all-time series 19-11-7, three of the last four meetings ended level, and this is the first Big 12 soccer match ever shown on ESPN or ESPN2.
EVE’s Edge: Texas Tech, 1-0. TCU needs points badly after three league losses, but the Red Raiders have allowed only three goals in five Big 12 matches and only need one.
#2 Michigan State at Purdue
Michigan State is 10-1-2, tied for first in the Big Ten at 6-1 and coming off a 4-0 win over Minnesota in which Kennedy Bell had five points. Bell’s eight goals rank third in the conference, Kayla Briggs has four game-winners, and goalkeeper Noelle Henning has five shutouts in six games with a 0.33 goals-against average. The Spartans won the last two meetings, both 3-1. Purdue is 11-1-2, nationally ranked by TopDrawerSoccer for the first time since 2021 and leading the country in goals, assists and goal differential.
EVE’s Edge: Michigan State, 2-1. Purdue’s attack will test Henning more than anyone has lately, but the Spartans finish better, run a deeper midfield and have the hottest goalkeeper in the Big Ten.
ELSEWHERE
Sara Hall, Des Linden and Dakotah Popehn lead the American women in Chicago, where the elite race starts at 8:30 AM on NBC Sports NOW and the NBC Chicago channel on Peacock. Emma Grace Hurley makes her marathon debut, and Sutume Kebede and Megertu Alemu, both sub-2:17 runners, give the front of the race depth well beyond the two favorites.
Big Ten Network carries four ranked volleyball matches, starting with #20 Washington at #18 Penn State at noon, two teams separated by two spots in the poll. At 2:00 PM, #15 Indiana returns home to face USC on BTN after Thursday’s sweep by #1 Nebraska, and the Hoosiers need a home win to stay in touch with the top of the conference.
In Columbus, #21 Minnesota visits Ohio State at 4:00 PM on BTN, where the Buckeyes can use a home crowd to knock a ranked conference opponent down the standings. The BTN night ends at 6:00 PM with #24 Illinois at #16 Purdue, a ranked meeting in West Lafayette that gives the Boilermakers a chance to protect home court against a team climbing back into the poll.
In Big Ten soccer, #21 Michigan hosts Wisconsin at 1:00 PM on B1G+. The Wolverines are 5-4-3 and 3-4 in conference play, but they already own a win over Michigan State from the week the Spartans were ranked #1, and a home result against the Badgers would help turn that statement into a stronger October run toward the conference tournament.