Lincoln, Neb. - NU dominated today’s conference match and claimed the most victories for the program since 2009, as the #58 Nebraska men’s tennis team (16-9, 5-4 Big Ten) closed out the regular season with a 7-0 sweep of Penn State (5-19, 1-8 Big Ten) on Senior Day.
Highlighting the day was seniors Rudi Christiansen, Shunya Maruyama and Nic Wiedenhorn each winning their matches, and No. 119 Calvin Mueller claiming his fifth ranked win, and 26th of the season, defeating No. 79 Miko Eala 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5).
The Big Ten matchup began with doubles at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center. On Court One, #85 Anton Shepp and Wiedenhorn had a dominant match against Miko Eala and Stefan Simeunovic, defeating the Nittany Lions, 6-1. At No. 3 doubles, Leo Linquet and Maruyama finished next, taking down Ari Cotoulas and Alexander Sterin, 6-2, to clinch the doubles point. Calvin Mueller and Lars Johann competed at No. 2 doubles, but their match against Nolan Ranger and Jack Martuccio was abandoned at 4-5.
The Big Red began singles with the lead, and five Huskers took their first sets. Chrisitansen was the first to finish, defeating Ritvik Nadikude, 6-1, 6-0, in the No. 6 slot. Roni Hietaranta played the No. 5 singles slot and took down Alexander Sterin, 6-0, 6-3. On Court Three, Maruyama clinched the match win for the Big Red, defeating Nolan Ranger, 6-2, 6-3. Johann was next to finish, playing Jack Martuccio in the No. 4 slot, and winning, 6-2, 7-5. On Court One, #119 Mueller had yet another ranked upset win, defeating #79 Miko Eala, 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5). At No. 2 singles, Shepp rallied to come back and secure the 7-0 sweep for the Big Red, taking down Stefan Simeunovic, 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-1).
The senior day sweep improved the Huskers’ record to 16-9 (5-4 Big Ten) to conclude the regular season. The 16th win marks a program best since 2009. Mueller’s win at No. 1 singles was his fifth ranked win, finishing the regular season with a perfect 5-0 record against ranked conference opponents. Defeating Eala also notched the junior’s 26th singles win of the season, to tie Toby Boyer for fifth place on the single-season victories record list. Maruyama earned his 19th singles win of the season on Court Three, and his 18th doubles win, after defeating Cotoulas and Sterin. Concluding the regular season with a 5-4 conference record sets the Big Red up to be the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers conclude home play with an 11-3 record when playing at Dillon. Head Coach Peter Kobelt has led the team to a program record most wins from a first-year coach, all-time.
Up next, the Huskers head to Evanston, Ill., for the Big Ten Tournament. Seeded at No. 5, the Big Red will take on No. 4 Illinois on Friday, April 26, with first serve set for 11 a.m. (CT). Live stats will be available on Huskers.com, as well as live updates and content posted on X/Twitter at @HuskerMTennis.
#58 Nebraska 7, Penn State 0
Singles competition
1. #119 Calvin Mueller (NEB) def. #79 Miko Eala (PSU) 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5)
2. Anton Shepp (NEB) def. Stefan Simeunovic (PSU) 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-1)
3. Shunya Maruyama (NEB) def. Nolan Ranger (PSU) 6-2, 6-3
4. Lars Johann (NEB) def. Jack Martuccio (PSU) 6-2, 7-5
5. Roni Hietaranta (NEB) def. Alexander Sterin (PSU) 6-0, 6-3
6. Rudi Christiansen (NEB) def. Ritvik Nadikude (PSU) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Anton Shepp/Nic Wiedenhorn (NEB) def. Miko Eala/Stefan Simeunovic (PSU) 6-1
2. Calvin Mueller/Lars Johann (NEB) vs. Nolan Ranger/Jack Martuccio (PSU) 4-5, unfinished
3. Leo Linquet/Shunya Maruyama (NEB) def. Ari Cotoulas/Alexander Sterin (PSU) 6-2
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,5,3,4,1,2)