Huskers Head Home to Face Drake

Nebraska (5-3) vs. Drake (5-4)
Match Date: March 3, 2010
Venue: Nebraska Tennis Center
Start time: 6 p.m.

Huskers Head Home to Face Drake
After playing three straight matches on the road, the No. 68 Nebraska men's tennis team will host its' third Missouri Valley Conference foe of the season on Wednesday, March 3, when the Drake Bulldogs travel to Lincoln. The match between the Huskers and Bulldogs is set begin at 6 p.m. at the Nebraska Tennis Center.  NU enters the match with a 5-3 overall record and riding a two-match winning streak. The Bulldogs are also playing well as of late having won three straight matches to improve their record to 5-4.

Last season, the Huskers upset No. 54 Drake, 6-1, at the Drake Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The Huskers were dominant in their upset bid winning at every position except the No. 1 spot in singles and taking the No. 1 and 3 doubles matches.

Last Time Out: Huskers Sweep Pair of Matches in Michigan
After dropping three straight matches, the Huskers looked to pick up two key victories in the state of Michigan where they played Michigan State and Western Michigan. NU cruised to easy victories in both matches defeating Michigan State 6-1, while taking down Western Michigan 5-2.

In their match against Michigan State, the Huskers started the match strong in doubles where the top two teams defeated their opponents to capture the doubles point. David Bendheim and Calin Paar (NU) continued their success by defeating John Stratton and Austin Brooks (MSU) 9-7 at the No. 1 position. At the No. 2 spot, Christopher Aumueller and Andre Stenger picked up their second win together after taking down Jason Norville and Joe Vallee (MSU) 8-5.

In singles play, NU was able to win at the top five singles positions. No. 53 Aumueller defeated Ronnie Hulewicz (MSU) 6-3, 6-4, at the No. 1 spot, while Bendheim beat Denis Bogatov (MSU) 6-4, 6-4, at the No. 2 spot. Paar, Francois Van Impe (NU), and Benedikt Lindheim (NU) all won their singles matches to help NU cruise to the victory.

Against Western Michigan, the Huskers were led by Paar who won his fourth consecutive match. The No. 92-ranked player in the nation defeated Kazuya Komada (WMU) in three sets at the No. 2 position to improve his record to 6-1 on the year. At the No. 4 spot, Van Impe took down Simon Blomberg (WMU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, while Lindheim beat Casey Cullen (WMU) at the No. 5 spot.

In doubles, Stenger and Aumueller were able to get the Huskers going after taking down Thomas Calderone and Michael Calderone (WMU) 8-4 at the No. 2 spot. The duo improved 3-0 when playing together. Van Impe and Lindheim were also able to pick up a victory for the Huskers at the No. 3 spot defeating Pablo Olivarz and Cullen (WMU) 8-4.

Paar Looks to Continue Hot Streak
One of the hottest Huskers as of late is junior Calin Paar. The German native has won four matches in a row to improve his overall record to 6-1 on the season. Paar's play has vaulted him into the ITA"s singles ratings where he checks in at No. 92.

Van Impe Having Special Senior Season
In his last season as a Husker, senior Francois Van Impe is off to the best start of his career. Van Impe owns a 7-1 record in singles while playing primarily at the No. 4 spot, and sports a 5-1 doubles record with sophomore Benedikt Lindheim at the No. 3 position. Van Impe's combined 12 victories in doubles and singles leads the team, while his seven singles victories also leads the squad.

Aumueller, Stenger Finding Groove at No. 2 Doubles
After the Huskers struggled to collect the doubles point in two straight matches against Minnesota and Denver, coach McDermott mixed up the doubles lineup by moving Christopher Aumueller to the No. 2 position with Andre Stenger. The move paid dividends for the Huskers as Aumueller and Stenger are off to a blistering start going 3-0 since being paired together.

Scouting the Bulldogs
The Bulldogs enter the match on Wednesday playing their best tennis of the season having won three-straight matches over DePaul, Western Illinois and Chicago State to improve their overall record to 5-4 on the season. Drake is lead by Mauricio Ballivian, who is 8-1 at the No. 1 spot and has won six consecutive singles matches. Playing at the No. 2 position for Drake is James McKie. McKie has won four matches in a row, while holding a 6-3 overall singles record. Ballivian and McKie also make up the Bulldogs top doubles team as the pair has gone 6-2 while playing together at the No. 1 spot. Drake is coached by Jimmy Borendame.