NU Set to Complete Home Slate Against Cowboys

The Nebraska men's tennis team ends its home schedule with a Big 12 matchup against No. 28 Oklahoma State on Wednesday, April 7. The match, which is slated to begin at 1 p.m., will take place at the Cather-Pound Courts, weather permitting.

The Huskers look to snap a two-match losing streak when they take on the Cowboys after dropping a pair of league contests last weekend at No. 2 Baylor, 7-0, and No. 61 Texas Tech, 4-2. It will be NU's third straight league contest against a ranked opponent and 10th time in 18 spring matches facing a squad ranked in the ITA poll. NU is 2-7 versus ranked teams this season, and owns an  0-5 record in conference play.

Nebraska will try to get back to its winning ways after losing four of its last five matches. The recent skid came after the Huskers picked up a four-match winning streak, including a dominating 6-1 win over No. 68 Idaho on March 25. NU's only win in its past five contests came at home against in-state rival Creighton, 6-1. The win over the Bluejays gave Nebraska a 2-2 home recording heading into Wednesday's home finale.

Oklahoma State enters the midweek matchup with a 12-2 overall record, including a 1-1 mark in Big 12 action. The Cowboys, who are looking to crack into the top 25 for the first time since February, have won nine of their last 10 matches, including a 4-3 road victory against No. 6 Rice.

OSU's lone setback during that stretch came against No. 28 Texas, 4-3, in Austin. OSU's only other loss of the spring was to No. 35 Arkansas, 4-3, in Tulsa, Okla., the site of this year's NCAA Championships. OSU reached as high as No. 19 in the ITA poll this season before the loss to the Razorbacks.

The Cowboys are led by junior Mark Van Elden, who enters the week ranked No. 30 nationally in singles play. Van Elden owns a perfect 14-0 record at the No. 1 singles slot this season. Along with Van Elden, junior Boris Kuharic and sophomore Tomas Bohunicky have provided tremendous depth for the Cowboys. Kuharic and Bohunicky own 13-1 records while playing at the Nos. 3 and 4 slots, respectively.

Oklahoma State is coming off a dominating performance over Big 12 foe Colorado, who defeated the Huskers, 5-2, on March 6, in Boulder. OSU swept the Buffaloes in singles play, losing just seven total games in the first set while knocking out five wins in straight sets.

OSU is coached by James Wadley, who is in his 32nd year guiding the Cowboys where he owns a 546-252 career record. Wadley's squads have won 12 conference titles and earned 121 individual league titles. He is the only tennis coach in the Big 12 with a longer tenure at his school than NU's Kerry McDermott (23rd year).

Clow Making Strides
Like many freshmen, newcomer James Clow struggled early this season adjusting to the speed and power of the collegiate game, but the Durban, South Africa native has provided solid play for the Huskers in recent weeks.

After opening the season with just one win in his first seven matches, Clow has now won six of his last nine singles contests, including four at the No. 4 spot in the lineup. Clow's seven wins are tied for third on the squad.

McDermott closes in on no. 250
Nebraska Coach Kerry McDermott, who is in his 23rd season guiding the Huskers, has been a stabilizing force for the NU men's tennis team. Under his tutelage, Nebraska has posted at least 10 dual victories 14 times, including four times in the past six years. Last season, he helped the Huskers to a .500 regular-season record for the first time since 1998.

McDermott is closing in on a milestone, as he needs just two victories to reach win No. 250. He picked up win No. 225 in 2002 against Creighton.

Net Notes
Nebraska closes the 2004 schedule with three straight dual meets on the road before heading to the Big 12 Championships in Norman, Okla., on April 23-25...the Huskers' next road match (April 10) will be a neutral-site matchup in Arlington, Texas, with New Mexico State which beat Nebraska, 5-2, in a tightly contested match at the Boise State Holiday Inn Invitational on March 27...five Huskers have already recorded at least seven singles wins in 17 matches this season, while only three reached the mark in 21 matches in 2003...the No. 6 singles slot has provided the most wins (11) this year and the best winning percentage (.647, 11-6)...Joerg Barthel has been consistent in doubles play each of the past two seasons, earning a 12-11 record in 2003 while holding an 8-6 doubles mark with four matches left in the 2004 regular season.