Huskers Face No. 24 Longhorns at Woods Tennis Center

The Nebraska men's tennis team returns to the court for the first time in more than a week when it plays host to No. 24 Texas on Monday, March 15. The match will begin at 2 p.m. at the Woods Tennis Center and admission is free to the public.

The contest will be the Huskers' second straight against a league opponent and third this season. Nebraska is 0-2 against Big 12 opponents this year, falling to No. 9 Texas A&M, 7-0, at home and Colorado, 5-2, in Boulder, Colo.

Nebraska looks to get back to the .500 mark when it takes on Texas. The Huskers started the season with a 2-1 record, including a 5-2 victory over No. 75 Wichita State on the road, but have recorded just one win in their last four matches. NU is 1-1 in Lincoln this season following a 4-3 win over regional foe Drake on March 3 in its last home contest.

Texas enters the week ranked 24th in the country after two weeks at No. 17 in the ITA national rankings. The Longhorns entered the year at No. 20 in the ITA preseason poll.

The Longhorns own an 8-6 record in 2004 after dropping three of their last five contests. UT also had a three-match losing streak earlier in the season, although all six of the setbacks have come against teams ranked in the top 30 nationally. The Longhorns are 2-0 against unranked teams this season and 6-0 against ranked teams between Nos. 30 and 75.

In its last match, UT routed No. 47 William & Mary, 5-2, in Austin on March 9. After dropping the doubles point, Texas reeled off wins at the top five singles slots for the win.

Antonio Ruiz, ranked 91st nationally in singles, led UT against the Tribe by recording a 6-2, 6-2, upset over No. 31 Jeff Kader at No. 1 singles. It was his fifth win over a ranked opponent this spring, as Ruiz leads the Longhorns with an 11-4 record in 2004 and is the only nationally ranked player on the squad.

Along with Ruiz, Ryan Haymond (9-3) is the only other Longhorn with at least nine victories after winning five of his last six matches. All five wins were in straight sets.

Following Nebraska's matchup against the Longhorns, the Huskers hit the road for three matches this weekend in Milwaukee, Wis. Nebraska faces host UW-Green Bay on Friday, March 19, at 6 p.m. and follows up with a pair of contests on Saturday, March 20, against Xavier (9:30 a.m.) and at Marquette (6 p.m.).

Huskers Face Ranked Teams
Taking on ranked teams has been commonplace for the Huskers in the early part of the 2004 season. When NU faces Texas on Monday, March 19, the Longhorns, ranked No. 24 last week, will be the Huskers' fifth ranked opponent in eight matches. The Huskers hold a 1-3 record against ranked teams entering the matchup.

Nebraska's lone victory over a ranked squad came on Feb. 10, when the Huskers defeated No. 75 Wichita State, 5-2, on the road. The win helped the Huskers enter the ITA poll at No. 75 the following week, their first national ranking since the 2002 campaign.

Getting On a roll
Sophomore Gerhard Posch, a newcomer who joined the Huskers in January, looks to continue his recent success when the Longhorns roll into town on Monday. Posch, a native of Perchtoldsdorf, Austria, has won his last two singles matches and now owns a team-best 4-3 singles record this year. Three of his victories have come at the No. 1 singles position, the most by a Husker at any position this season.

Along with Posch, junior Jose Rivera and sophomore Joerg Barthel look to extend their recent strong play at the No. 2 doubles slot. Rivera and Barthel have won two straight doubles matches at the position. The victories are the first two of the year for the Huskers at the No. 2 doubles spot, as Nebraska is 2-5 at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles. NU is still looking for its first victory this year at the No. 1 doubles position after losing seven straight.