Huskers Open 2010 With Pair of Home Matches

   The Nebraska men's tennis team will kick off its 2010 season with a pair of home matches against two Missouri Valley Conference teams on Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Nebraska Tennis Center. The 65th-ranked Huskers will host in-state foe Creighton and Illinois State in double-header action. NU will battle the Bluejays with first serve set for 11 a.m., before taking on the Redbirds at 4 p.m.  Saturday's matches will mark the first time all three teams will be in action this season.
   The Huskers have had good fortune against the Missouri Valley Conference over the past two season having won five straight matches against teams from the conference. The Huskers last lost to a Missouri Valley Conference team in 2008 when they fell on the road to Drake by the score of 4-3. Last season, NU defeated the Bluejays in dominating fashion by the score of 7-0. In that match the Huskers did not drop a set in any of the singles matches, while sweeping the doubles matches. The last time NU lined up across from Illinois State was in 2000, when the Huskers defeated the Redbirds on the road 4-3.

Three Huskers Appear in National Rankings
   The Nebraska men's tennis team was well represented in the ITA's preseason tennis rankings which were released on Tuesday, Jan. 5. Sophomore Christopher Aumueller, junior Calin Paar and senior Francois Van Impe all appeared in the Top 100 singles rankings. The only Big 12 team with more players ranked in the Top 100 was Texas, which had five players appear in the rankings. As a team, the Huskers will begin their season ranked at No. 65.
   Aumueller will start the season ranked at No. 30 after collecting 10 victories this fall and making an appearance in the finals of the Central Regional Championships in Tulsa, Okla. The reining Big 12 Newcomer of the Year won 18 matches last spring and went 4-2 in Big 12 play. Aumueller was ranked at No. 97 in the ITA's final rankings last season.
   Paar will begin the season ranked at No. 76, while Van Impe will start his senior season ranked at No. 91. Paar went 7-5 this fall and finished last spring with a 12-10 overall record. Van Impe won five matches this fall and finished last season with an 11-8 record while playing the majority of his matches at the No. 5 spot.

Aumueller Joins Elite Class With Preseason Ranking
   Coming off one of the most successful freshman seasons in program history, Aumueller will look to continue his success as a sophomore playing at the Huskers' No. 1 spot. Last fall, Aumueller cemented himself as one of the top players in the Big 12 after reaching the finals of the Central Regional Championships. The reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year will enter the season ranked at No. 30 in the national singles rankings, which is the highest ranking for a Husker since Steven Jung in 1989 when he finished the year ranked at No. 16 and was the runner-up in the NCAA singles tournament.

Two Seniors Set to Lead Huskers
   Seniors David Bendheim and Francois Van Impe will no doubt leave their mark on Nebraska tennis history when their careers are over, but the two veterans of the Nebraska tennis team are hoping to create a big splash in their last season. Bendheim sits only nine victories away from moving into fifth place on the all-time victories list at NU, while Van Impe will enter the year for the first time in his career nationally ranked at No. 91. According to head coach Kerry McDermott, Van Impe is also the top doubles player on NU's roster.

Scouting the Bluejays
   After finishing last season with an overall record of 4-11, the Creighton Bluejays return two out of their top three players from a year ago. Senior James McAvoy and sophomore Gabe Nagy both return after leading their team in victories last season with six a piece. The Bluejays also return Kyle Obermeier, who played 10 matches at the No. 3 spot last season. The Bluejays will not be returning their No. 1 player Jose Guerra, who has claimed the top spot for the Bluejays for the past four seasons. The Bluejays are coached by Tom Lilly, who is in his 12th season as the head man of both the men's and women's tennis programs at Creighton.

Scouting the Redbirds
   Illinois State returns six players this season from a team that went 9-12 a year ago and finished fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Redbird's top two players are junior Timon Reichelt and sophomore Skip Span. Reichelt finished last season as the top doubles player on the squad collecting 22 victories in doubles play. He also won 16 singles matches. Span does the most damage for the Redbirds in singles where he won 22 matches a year ago. The Redbirds are coached by Cris James, who is entering his third season at the helm of the Illinois State tennis program.

Strength of Schedule Will Test NU
   Head coach Kerry McDermott calls this season's schedule one of the toughest in his 28 years of coaching at Nebraska. The Huskers will face five teams ranked inside the preseason top 25 and 12 teams inside the top 50.  NU will have its hands full again in conference play as no team is ranked lower than No. 44 besides NU who checks in at No. 66.

Live Stats Now Available For Home Tennis Matches
   If you aren't able to make it to the Nebraska Tennis Center for this weekend's matches make sure to check out the new live stats page for both men's and women's tennis. You are now able to view up to the second scores for all of NU's men's and women's home tennis matches. Click on the live stats link on the men's tennis page to gain access to the live stats page.