The #58 Nebraska men’s tennis team (9-4, 0-0 Big Ten) is set to take on #56 Yale (7-4, 0-0 Ivy) and #47 UCSB (6-5, 0-0 Big West) this Wednesday and Friday before beginning conference play. The Huskers meet the Bulldogs for a neutral match first, on Wednesday, March 13, at noon (CT). Two days later, the Big Red will face the Gauchos on Friday, March 15, at 3 p.m. (CT). Both matches will be played at UCSB, with the Friday match held at Arnhold Tennis Center and available to watch via live stream.
Scouting #56 Yale (7-4, 0-0 Ivy)/Series History:
- The Bulldogs have gone 7-4 to start the 2023-24 season, with their most recent loss to Pepperdine at the West Coast Opener.
- Yale ended last season 12-10, and were unranked.
- As of March 5, there are two sets of Bulldogs’ doubles in the national ITA rankings. Theo Dean and Vignesh Gogineni are ranked at No. 59, and Aidan Reilly, also partnered with Theo Dean, at No. 77.
- Head Coach Chris Drake is in his fifth season with the Bulldogs. Drake has also been an ATP coach, assistant at Northwestern, and most recently, head coach at Dartmouth where he led the team to an NCAA Tournament appearance.
- Series History: 0-2 Yale; Since the teams’ first matchup in 1993, NU has gone 0-2 against the Bulldogs.
Scouting #47 UCSB (6-5, 0-0 Big West)/Series History:
- The Gauchos have gone 6-5 to start the 2023-24 season, with their most recent loss to #10 Harvard.
- UCSB ended last season 22-4, and ranked No. 41 nationally.
- As of March 5, nationally ranked Gauchos include #37 Pablo Masjuan in singles, and doubles duo #42 Gianluca Brunkow and Pablo Masjuan.
- UCSB will play #56 Yale prior to the NU match on Friday.
- Head Coach Blake Muller is in his third season as head coach, and 10th with the Gauchos. Muller led UCSB to 22 wins last season, a program single-season record.
- Series History: 1-0 NU; Since 1990, the teams’ first and only matchup, NU has gone 1-0 against UCSB.
On March 12, Nebraska was ranked by ITA at No. 58, with a 9-4 record. In singles, junior Anton Shepp was ranked at No. 120 with his 13-4 record and upset win over Alabama’s then ranked No. 51 Enzo Aguiard. The Huskers also started the spring season with two-straight Big Ten honors. Shepp was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Jan. 17 and Calvin Mueller on Jan. 24. Both Shepp and Mueller were recognized for their perfect 4-0 weeks and straight-set victories.
Head Coach Peter Kobelt, in his second year with Nebraska, stepped into the role of Interim Head Coach this August. The squad’s current 9-4 record is the best ever 13-match season start for a head coach’s first season in Nebraska history.
NU has a 9-4 record so far on the 2023-24 season, the best start for the team since 2018. The Big Red are coming off a road 6-1 victory, defeating UC San Diego on March 9.
Stay tuned to the Husker Men’s Tennis social media channels to keep up with match updates and content as available.