The #61 Nebraska men’s tennis team (12-7, 1-2 Big Ten) is set to host Big Ten foes #26 Illinois (10-8, 1-3 Big Ten) and #64 Northwestern (7-14, 1-3 Big Ten) this weekend at the Dillon Tennis Center. The Huskers are coming off their first conference win over Wisconsin, where they defeated the Badgers, 6-1. The Big Red will face the Fighting Illini on Friday, April 5, at 6 p.m. (CT), and the Wildcats on Sunday, April 7, at noon (CT). Parking and admission are free, and live stats will be available, as well as updates via Twitter/X @HuskerMTennis.
Scouting #26 Illinois (10-8, 1-3 Big Ten)/Series History:
- The Fighting Illini are off to a 10-8 (1-3 Big Ten) start on the 2023-24 season, coming off their most recent 2-4 loss to #40 Michigan.
- Illinois ended last season with a 19-11 record, and a national ranking of No. 32.
- As of April 2, ranked Fighting Illini include No. 27 Karlis Ozolins, No. 34 Hunter Heck and No. 83 Kenta Miyoshi in singles. Ranked Orange and Blue doubles duos are No. 7 Hunter Heck and Karlis Ozolins, No. 27 Lucas Horve and Oliver Okonkwo.
- Head Coach Brad Dancer is in his 18th season in the role with Illinois. Dancer led the Orange and Blue to a Big Ten Tournament Title in 2021, and has coached Fighting Illini into the NCAA Tournament in 16 of his 18 seasons.
- Series History: 12-1 ILL; Since their first matchup in 2014, the Big Red have gone 1-12 against the Fighting Illini.
Scouting #64 Northwestern (7-14, 1-3 Big Ten)/Series History:
- The Wildcats are off to a 7-14 (1-3 Big Ten) start on the 2023-24 season, coming off their most recent 4-0 win over Chicago State.
- Northwestern ended last season with a 21-10 record, and a national ranking of No. 25.
- As of April 2, doubles duo Gleb Bekhar and Felix Nordby were the only nationally ranked Wildcats, coming in at No. 48.
- Head coach Arvid Swan is in his 16th season with the Wildcats. Swan has led Northwestern in advancing in the NCAA tournament in six of the last seven years of participation in the NCAA Tournament.
- Prior to playing Nebraska on Sunday, April 7, the Wildcats will take on Wisconsin, Friday, April 5, at 4 p.m. (CT).
- Series History: 13-1 Northwestern; Since their first matchup in 2014, the Big Red have gone 1-13 against the Wildcats.
The Huskers are coming off a 2-0 weekend, after hosting Wisconsin and Illinois State in a doubleheader. With the two wins, the Big Red improved to 12-7 in the spring season, 1-2 in conference play and 9-1 at home.
On April 2, Calvin Mueller was ranked nationally by ITA at No. 109 in singles. Last weekend, Mueller put up his fourth-consecutive straight-set win at No. 2 singles, with an 8-1 record in the slot. In the first two Big Ten matches of the season, Mueller upset ranked MSU’s #34 Ronald Hohmann, 6-3, 6-2, and Michigan’s #125 Jacob Bickersteth, 6-4, 7-5. Mueller has a 3-0 singles start to Big Ten play, and an overall 22-9 record for the 2023-24 season.
Also on April 2, Nebraska was ranked by ITA at No. 61 with a 12-7 record. Early this season, the Huskers claimed 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.
Stay tuned to the Husker Men’s Tennis social media channels to keep up with match updates and content as available.