Huskers Open Home Slate Against No. 9 Texas A&M

Coming off a four-match season-opening road trip, the Nebraska men's tennis team plays host to No. 9 Texas A&M on Saturday, Feb. 21. The match will begin at 2 p.m. at the Woods Tennis Center. Admission is free to the public.

Facing a ranked opponent is nothing new to the Huskers. This weekend's matchup will be NU's fourth straight against a nationally ranked foe. Nebraska owns a 1-2 record against teams in the top 75, including a dominating 5-2 victory over No. 75 Wichita State on Feb. 7. The Huskers' other two matches against ranked foes ended with 7-0 losses.

Before A&M comes to Lincoln, the Aggies will make a stop in Fort Worth, Texas, to take on No. 13 Texas Christian on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Texas A&M begins the week with a 7-3 record, including three straight shutout victories in the past two weeks. Two of the victories came against ranked opponents, and the Aggies own a 5-3 record vs. ranked teams this season.

The Aggies are led by a pair of juniors, as Lester Cook (No. 17) and Ante Matijevic (No. 19) both hold top-20 rankings in singles play. Cook is 5-2 in the spring, with a win over Trinity (Texas) University's Sean Fifield, who is ranked No. 26 in Division II, and No. 93 Balazs Veress of California. Matijevic sports a 6-0 record in 2004, with four wins over opponents ranked in the Division I poll, including No. 7 Ludovic Walter of Duke.

Matijevic and Cook also form an imposing tandem in doubles play. The duo is ranked No. 1 nationally in doubles and owns a 5-1 record in the spring with their only loss coming to the Blue Devils' No. 2-ranked tandem of Walter and Jason Zimmerman, 9-8 (4).

Following Nebraska's matchup against the Aggies, the Huskers remain at home to play host to Drake on March 3 at 1 p.m.

Nebraska Earns First Ranking of Season
The Huskers' strong start, which included a 5-2 victory over No. 75 Wichita State on Feb. 7, helped Nebraska break into the ITA national rankings for the first time this year. NU entered the rankings in a tie with five other teams for No. 75 on Feb. 10.

The last time Nebraska was ranked was the 2002 season, when the Huskers finished the year at No. 75. NU was ranked for eight consecutive polls and reached as high as No. 62 early in the year.

Huskers Add match against Xavier
Nebraska recently added another match to its spring schedule. The Huskers picked up a contest against Atlantic 10 opponent Xavier on March 20 at 9:30 a.m. NU and the Musketeers will play in Milwaukee, giving the Huskers three matches in two days. Nebraska will also face Wisconsin-Green Bay on March 19 at 6 p.m. and host Marquette on March 20 at 6 p.m.

Changing places
Through four matches, the Huskers have used just six players in singles action although NU has rearranged the order four times. Only sophomore transfer Gerhard Posch, who joined the Huskers in January, has played at the same singles slot in all four matches, nailing down the No. 1 position where he has garnered a 2-2 record. Senior Jeff Nabity (2-2), junior Jose Rivera (2-2) and freshman James Clow (1-3) have each played at three different singles spots in the first four matches, while junior Joel Reckewey (1-3) and sophomore Joerg Barthel (1-3) have each played at two positions.