No. 36 Huskers Head West for Trio of Matches

No. 36 Nebraska (8-3) vs No. 65 Oregon (11-3)
Match Date: Friday, March 12, 2010
Location: Provo, Utah
Venue: BYU Tennis Complex
Start time: 11 a.m.

No. 36 Nebraska (8-3) at No. 23 BYU (13-2)
Match Date: Saturday, March 13, 2010
Location: Provo, Utah
Venue: BYU Tennis Complex 
Start time: Noon

No. 36 Nebraska (8-3) at Utah (4-7)
Match Date: Sunday, March 14, 2010
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Venue: Eccles Tennis Center
Start Time: 11 a.m.
No. 36 Huskers Head West for Trio of Matches
Fresh off a victory over No. 35 Arizona, the No. 36 Nebraska men's tennis team will head west for three matches in three consecutive days. The Huskers will kick off their weekend in Provo, Utah, against the Oregon Ducks on Friday, March 12, at 11 a.m. The Ducks enter the match ranked at No. 65 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. On Saturday, March 13, NU will take on the No. 23 BYU Cougars at noon, before traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah, to battle the Utah Utes on Sunday, March 14 at 11 a.m.

The Huskers enter weekend play riding a five match winning streak, while owing an 8-3 overall record. Oregon and BYU will be the fifth and sixth ranked teams the Huskers have faced off against this season, going 2-2 in their previous four matches against ranked opponents.

Huskers Shoot Up Rankings
After spending last week outside the Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, the Huskers shot all the way up to No. 36 in the latest poll which was released on Tuesday, March 9. NU's rise in the rankings comes after defeating Santa Clara and No. 35 Arizona both by the score of 6-1 last weekend. So far this season, seven out of the 11 opponents the Huskers have faced are currently ranked inside the ITA's top 75. In those matches, the Huskers have obtained a 4-3 record with victories over No. 70 Illinois State, No. 59 Western Michigan, No. 57 Santa Clara and No. 35 Arizona.

All seven teams from the Big 12 are represented in the rankings, four of which are ranked inside the top 25. Texas is the ranked the highest checking in at No. 5, followed by No. 15 Texas Tech, No. 16 Baylor, No. 20 Oklahoma, No. 28 Texas A&M and No. 69 Oklahoma State.

Match Results Against Teams Currently Ranked Inside the ITA Top 75
Opponent                      Current Ranking                         Result
Illinois State                  No. 70                                       W, 6-1
Minnesota                     No. 52                                       L, 3-4
Denver                          No. 29                                       L, 3-4
Wisconsin                      No. 38                                       L, 3-4
Western Michigan           No. 59                                       W, 5-2
Santa Clara                   No. 57                                       W, 6-1
Arizona                         No. 34                                       W, 6-1

Paar, Van Impe Tough to Beat in Three Sets
The two most impressive Huskers so far this season are undoubtedly senior Francois Van Impe and junior Calin Paar. Van Impe has been dominant at the No. 4 spot for NU having won five straight matches to improve his record to 10-1 on the season. Paar has been equally as impressive at the No. 2 spot as he is currently on a seven match winning streak and owns a 9-1 singles record. One key to the pair's success is their ability to close out matches when they are extended to three sets. Van Impe has gone 2-0 in three set matches, while Paar has won all five matches he has played in that have gone to a third set. As a team, the Huskers own a 14-8 record in matches that go to three sets.

Stenger Finding Role at No. 5 Spot
After starting the season 0-5 in singles play, Andre Stenger is starting to find his groove at the No. 5 spot for NU. The freshman, who transferred before the spring semester, has gone 2-1 in his last three matches since moving to the No. 5 spot. Stenger is also contributing on the doubles court where he and Christopher Aumueller own a 4-2 record together at the No. 2 spot.

Doubles Point a Top Priority
After dropping two straight doubles points to Minnesota and Denver, the Huskers have come back to win six straight doubles points in a row. In those matches, NU has collected a 5-1 record. Overall, the Huskers have won the doubles point nine out of the 11 matches played so far this season.

Scouting the Oregon Ducks
The No. 65 Oregon Ducks will enter the weekend with an 11-3 overall record, while riding a two match wining streak. The Duck's three losses this season have come against No. 22 Boise State, No. 50 Arkansas and No. 23 Washington. Oregon's lineup features one ranked player in No. 83 Alexander Cornelissen who will play at the No. 1 spot. Cornelissen owns an impressive 12-2 record. The Ducks are coached by Nils Schyllander .

Scouting the BYU Cougars
The No. 23 BYU Cougars will be the highest ranked opponent the Huskers have faced this season. The Cougars will enter the weekend with a 13-2 overall record with wins over four ranked teams including No. 29 Boise State and No. 55 Denver. One of the Cougar's losses came at the hands of No. 24 Arizona, who the Huskers defeated in their last match, 6-1. BYU is lead by Thomas Shubert who has a 9-4 record while playing at the No. 1 position. Even Urbina will play at the No. 2 spot where he holds a 10-3 record. BYU is coached by Brad Pearce.

Scouting the Utah Utes
The Utah Utes will be looking to break a current four match losing streak against the Huskers. The Utes own a 4-7 overall record with wins over Utah State, Montana State, Idaho State and Weber state. The Ute's No.1 player will be Phillip Eilers who has a 4-6 record when playing in the top spot. At the No. 2 position, Jason Smits owns a 4-4 record on the season. Utah is coached by F.D. Robbins.