For the first Big Ten match of the season, the #53 Nebraska men’s tennis (10-5, 0-0 Big Ten) team is headed to Michigan to open conference play against #18 Michigan State (14-3, 0-0 Big Ten) and #43 Michigan (6-10, 0-0 Big Ten). The 10-5 Huskers are having the best program start since 2016 heading into their highest-ranked opponent matchup yet. The Big Red will face Michigan State on Friday, March 22, at 5 p.m. (CT). On Sunday, March 24, NU will take on Michigan at 11 a.m. (CT). Both matches will have live streams and live stats available.
Scouting #18 Michigan State (14-3, 0-0 Big Ten)/Series History:
- The Spartans have gone 14-3 to start the 2023-24 season, with their most recent losses to #9 Arizona and #46 Cornell.
- MSU ended last season 11-14, 3-6 Big Ten, and were unranked.
- As of March 19, Spartans are represented in both singles and doubles in the national rankings. In singles, #11 Ozan Baris leads the pack, with #34 Ronald Hohmann and #115 Graydon Lair. In doubles, #3 Max Sheldon and Ozan Baris are on a 10-3 run. Doubles duos #66 Ozan Baris and Ronald Hohmann, and #68 Ronald Hohmann and Sebastien Collard are also ranked, with 6-2 and 5-2 records respectively.
- Head Coach Harry Jadun is in his second season in the role with the Spartans. The 2015 MSU graduate led Ozan Baris to the NCAA Singles Championship last year, the first team appearance since 2007.
- Series History: 8-7 NU; Since their first matchup in 1994, the Big Red have gone 8-7 against the Spartans.
Scouting #43 Michigan (6-10 0-0 Big Ten)/Series History:
- The Wolverines have gone 6-10 to start the 2023-24 season, with their most recent loss to #1 Ohio State, 0-4.
- Michigan ended last season 27-5, and ranked No. 6 nationally.
- As of March 19, nationally ranked Wolverines include #15 Gavin Young and #125 Jacob Bickersteth in singles, and #27 Jacob Bickersteth and Gavin Young in doubles.
- Michigan will play Wisconsin on March 22, prior to the NU match on Sunday.
- Head Coach Sean Maymi is in his first season in the role with Michigan, after spending his past five seasons as head coach at NU. Prior to Nebraska, Maymi served as associate head coach for the Wolverines from 2006-11 and 2015-18.
- Series History: 1-11 U-M; Since their first matchup in 1990, NU has gone 1-11 against Michigan.
On March 19, Nebraska was ranked by ITA at No. 53, with a 10-5 record. In doubles, Anton Shepp and Nic Wiedenhorn were ranked at No. 79 with their 11-9 record and upset win over Oregon’s then ranked #31 Burton and Vandecasteele. 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.
No. 3 doubles duo Maruyama and Sysoev are on a roll after improving to 4-0 in the spring season with their 7-6(5) win over UCSB. Maruyama’s spring singles record improved to 10-3. Mueller and Johann in the No. 2 doubles slot improved their record to 8-3. The MSU match will be NU’s fifth against a ranked opponent this season, but Michigan State will be the highest ranked opponent yet. NU has tallied wins over #56 Tulsa and #56 Yale, and losses to #24 Baylor and #47 UCSB.
NU has a 10-5 record so far on the 2023-24 season, the best start for the team since 2016. The Big Red are coming off a close 3-4 loss, after falling to #47 UCSB on March 15.
Stay tuned to the Husker Men’s Tennis social media channels to keep up with match updates and content as available.