Huskers Set Sights High in 2020

Rebuild the program. Make history.

This was Sean Maymi's mission when he took over as head coach of the Nebraska men's tennis team in 2018. The Huskers made major strides in his first season at the helm and it's full speed ahead going into year two. 

Part of the rebuilding process included infusing talent into the program and to this end, Maymi will welcome six newcomers into the fold this season, including two Division I transfers and four highly-touted freshmen.

Patrick Cacciatore joins the Huskers after competing for South Carolina during his freshman season. Cacciatore, a five-star high school recruit from Tampa, was ranked as the No. 47 recruit in the nation and the No. 7 player in the state of Florida as a high school senior in 2018 and posted a 14-6 overall record in his one season with the Gamecocks. 

Bradley Mittleman comes to Nebraska after spending his freshman season at Old Dominion. Mittleman compiled a 2-1 singles record in the fall of 2018 for the Monarchs, and now the former No. 2 recruit in the state of Kansas is set to begin his next chapter with the Huskers.     

Maymi hit the recruiting trail hard following his debut season and his vision for the future of the program clearly resonated with top prospects.

Headlining the crop of newcomers is Andre Saleh of Newport Beach, Calif. Saleh was a five-star recruit and the No. 52-rated prospect in the nation. Saleh chose Nebraska because he felt Maymi and the rest of the coaching staff would "give [him] the best chance to improve and succeed on the tennis court."

Joining Saleh is Chester Wickwire out of Canfield, Ohio. A four-star recruit and the fourth-ranked player in the state of Ohio, Wickwire "always dreamed of being able to accomplish [his] dreams at a big program" and when Coach Maymi offered him a spot on the Nebraska team, he "didn't hesitate to take that one in a million chance and run with it."

Two international prospects complete the four-man freshman class. Shunya Maruyama of Nagano, Japan, brings an impressive pedigree as a four-time International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Doubles Champion while Albert Sprlak-Puk hails from Brno, Czech Republic, and comes to Nebraska with a pair of European singles titles, including the 2017 Bavarian Championship in Germany and the singles title at the 2016 Krka Open in Slovenia to his credit.

Three Huskers who competed a season ago and helped lay the foundation for the program's culture change return for the 2019-20 campaign. Chris Dean is the lone senior on the roster and his experience will be counted on by his teammates and the coaching staff. Dean battled injuries throughout his junior season but was able to form a reliable doubles team with former Husker Isaac Nortey, as both combined to post a team-best 6-5 record. Dean, a native of Papillion, also notched four singles wins overall, with two in the fall and two out of the No. 5 spot in the spring season.

Lincoln native William Gleason returns for his sophomore season following a fantastic freshman campaign. Gleason compiled a 12-9 spring record in 2019, including a team-best 6-4 mark in Big Ten play, which was the best conference record by a Husker since three-time All-Big Ten selection Dusty Boyer went 4-7 in his senior season. Gleason also gained significant experience competing in the No. 1 doubles spot with former Husker Toby Boyer.

Victor Moreno Lozano rounds out the returners. The sophomore from Madrid, Spain, earned an important role at the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in his freshman year with the Huskers, playing a team-high 37 singles matches overall. Lozano ended the season with a 19-18 mark, including a 11-12 spring record while going 2-7 in Big Ten play. Moreno was only the second Husker -- along with junior Micah Klousia -- to reach the round of 32 of the ITA Fall Central Regional in October 2018. He went 8-6 in the fall season.

Collectively, the Huskers will be tested in 2020. Nebraska opens the season at Vanderbilt (Jan. 18) before battling the Baylor Bears (Jan. 20). Baylor finished second in the Big 12 standings last season.

The Big Red make their 2019-20 home debut on Feb. 2 against the Auburn Tigers before taking on the Kansas City Roos later that same afternoon.

Nebraska then travels to Norfolk, Va., the following weekend to play the SMU Mustangs  in the first of five consecutive matches away from Lincoln. After facing the Mustangs (Feb. 8), the Huskers will stay in Norfolk to take on the Old Dominion Monarchs (Feb. 9).

One week later, the Big Red travel to Eugene, Ore., to face the Oregon Ducks (Feb. 16). The Huskers head south to Texas the following weekend, first to San Antonio to take on the UTSA Roadrunners (Feb. 22) and then to Austin to square off against the defending national champion Texas Longhorns (Feb. 23).

Nebraska returns to the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center for a matchup with the Pepperdine Waves (Feb. 28) before hitting the road again to open up Big Ten play against the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa (March 1).
 
The Big Red then roll into Norman, Okla. to take on the Oklahoma Sooners (March 8). A much-needed home match against the Wisconsin Badgers is set for March 13 before another extended stretch of matches on the road.

Nebraska will travel north to meet the Minnesota Gophers (March 22) before heading to Orlando, Fla. for a matchup with UCF (March 25). The Golden Knights went undefeated in American Athletic Conference competition last season.

Things don't get any easier for the Huskers as they travel to Columbus to face Ohio State (March 27). The Buckeyes recorded a perfect 11-0 mark in conference play during the 2018-19 campaign.

Nebraska is then set to duel with the Nittany Lions of Penn State in Happy Valley on March 29 before returning home for back-to-back matches against Illinois (April 4) and Northwestern (April 5).

The Huskers meet Michigan State (April 10) and Michigan (April 11) on their respective home courts before concluding the regular season in Lincoln with matches against Indiana (April 18) and Purdue (April 19). 

The Big Red will then travel to Bloomington, Ind., for the Big Ten Tournament April 23-26.