Huskers Return Home for Start of Big 12 Play

No. 37 Nebraska (12-6, 0-0) vs. No. 12 Texas A&M (13-4, 2-0)
Match Date: Friday, April 2, 2010
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Venue: Nebraska Tennis Center
Start time: 3 p.m.

No. 37 Nebraska (12-6, 0-0) vs. No. 49 Oklahoma State (6-8, 0-2)
Match Date: Saturday, April 3, 2010
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Venue: Nebraska Tennis Center 
Start time: 3 p.m.

Huskers Return Home for Start of Big 12 Play
After a grueling nine match road trip, the No. 37 Nebraska men's tennis team returns to the Nebraska Tennis Center to kick off the start of Big 12 Conference play this weekend. The Huskers will begin the weekend against No. 12 Texas A&M on Friday, April 2, at 3 p.m. NU will then play No. 49 Oklahoma State on Saturday, April 3, with first serve set for 3 p.m.

The Huskers enter this weekend with a 12-6 record, and fresh off a 5-2 victory over Missouri Valley foe Wichita State. The Huskers, who snapped a three match losing streak with their victory over the Shockers, are coming off their longest road trip of the season where they went 6-3 with victories over three ranked teams.

Last Time Out: Huskers Battle Back Past Shockers
The No. 35 Nebraska men's tennis team used a strong performance from its' top five singles players to battle past the Wichita State Shockers, 5-2, on Saturday, March 27, at the Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex..

The Huskers got off to a shaky start by dropping all three doubles matches to fall behind 1-0, but dominated in singles play by winning at the top five spots all in straight sets.  

In singles, senior David Bendheim (NU) dominated at the No. 1 spot taking down Sven Kasper (WSU) 6-4, 6-4. At the No. 2 spot, No. 81 Calin Paar (NU) defeated Vlad Marinescu (WSU) 6-2, 6-2, while Francois Van Imp (NU) continued his impressive play by defeating Valentin Mihai (WSU) at the No. 3 spot. The hottest Husker entering this weekend was sophomore Benedikt Lindheim (NU). Lindheim extended his winning streak to nine matches after defeating David Cavalcanti (WSU) 6-3, 6-3, at the No. 5 spot.

The only loss in singles came at the No. 6 spot where freshman Eric Sock (NU) fell to Matheus de Paula Pereira (WSU) 6-4, 6-3, at the No. 6 spot.

NU Begins Tough Big 12 Schedule
The Huskers begin the Big 12 season searching for their first conference win in two seasons. With five teams ranked inside the top 25, and all seven teams ranked inside the top 50, the Big 12 in undoubtedly one of the toughest conferences in the country again this season. The Atlantic Coast Conference is the only conference with more teams inside the top 25 with six. Last season, the Huskers dropped three 4-3 matches to open Big 12 play, including a near upset of No. 7 Baylor.

Lindheim Extends Winning Streak
Benedikt Lindheim extended his winning streak to nine matches after defeating Alastair Barnes (Tulsa) and David Cavalcanti (Wichita State) over the weekend. The sophomore has not been taken to a third set in any of his last nine matches. Lindheim currently leads the team in victories with 15.

Bendheim Moves to Fifth All-Time on Victories List
With his 10 victories this season, senior David Bendheim moved into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time career victories list at Nebraska. Bendheim has accumulated 59 victories in his time at Nebraska and needs only four victories to tie Lance Mills for fourth on the list.

Huskers Hoping to Improve Doubles
The Huskers will look to get back on track in the doubles competition after dropping the last three doubles points. NU will look to get a boost from sophomore Christopher Aumueller, who has not participated in the last three matches. On the season, NU has won 11 of the 18 doubles points, and has swept all three doubles matches four times.

Huskers Finish Longest Road Trip of Season
The Huskers are returning to the Nebraska Tennis Center for the first time in nine matches. Over that span, the Huskers accumulated a 6-3 record, while defeating three ranked teams in the process, including No. 35 Arizona, No. 23 BYU and No. 65 Oregon. The nine match road trip marked the second straight season NU has been away from home for at least nine matches as they opened up the 2009 season with ten straight matches on the road. After this weekend, the Huskers will hit the road again for a three match Big 12 road trip against Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma, before finishing their season at home against Texas.

Huskers Ranked No. 37
The Huskers dropped two spots to No. 37 in Intercollegiate Tennis Rankings, which were released on Tuesday, March 30. The ranking marks the fourth week in a row the Huskers are ranked inside the top 40.

Junior Calin Paar moved to No. 92 in the singles rankings, while Christopher Aumueller dropped to No. 96 after missing the last three matches. The Huskers have no doubles teams currently ranked.

NU in the Rankings
Date     Ranking
1/5        #65
1/26      #65
2/4        #66      
2/12      #65
2/18      #65
2/23      #68
3/2        NR
3/9        #36      
3/16      #25
3/23      #35
3/30      #37

Scouting the Texas A&M Aggies
The Texas A&M Aggies currently own a 13-4 overall record, and a 2-0 mark in Big 12 play after beating Oklahoma, 5-2, and sweeping Oklahoma State, 7-0. A&M will play a pair of matches on Wednesday, March 31, against UT Arlington and Rice before traveling to Lincoln. Three of the four Aggie losses have come away from their home courts where they own a 2-3 record. A&M features one of the deepest lineups in the country with three ranked singles players and two ranked doubles teams. No. 8 Austin Krajicek will play at the No.1 spot for A&M, where he sports a 12-2 record, while No. 46 Jeff Dadamo will play at the No. 2 spot. The Aggies are coached by Steve Denton.

Scouting the Oklahoma State Cowboys
The No. 49 Oklahoma State Cowboys will play Central Florida on Thursday, March 1, before their match with the Huskers. OSU currently sports a 6-8 record and a 0-2 mark in Big 12 play. In their first two Big 12 matches, the Cowboys have fell to Texas and Texas A&M. Playing at the No. 1 spot for OSU will be No. 16 Oleksandr Nedovyesov. The senior has accumulated 11-3 record at the top spot and a 1-1 record in Big 12 play. Nedovyesov also teams up with Aleksey Bessonov to make up the No. 16-ranked doubles team in the country. The Cowboys are coached by James Wadley.

Live Stats Available for Home Matches
Live stats will be available for both matches this weekend against Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. To view live stats, click on the link provided at the top of the page.