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Apr 19, 2024

Huskers host No. 1 Ohio State, Penn State to close Regular Season

Posted Apr 19, 2024 12:33 PM

Story by NU Athletic Communications

The #58 Nebraska men’s tennis team (15-8, 4-3 Big Ten) is set to host the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes (25-1, 7-0 Big Ten) on Friday, April 19, and the Penn State Nittany Lions (4-18, 0-7 Big Ten) on Sunday, April 21, to close out the regular season. The conference matches will be the last for the Big Red prior to the Big Ten Tournament starting Thursday, April 25. 

The Huskers currently hold the most program wins in a season since 2011 and will take on the top-ranked Buckeyes at 5 p.m. (CT) on Friday, and the Nittany Lions at noon (CT) on Sunday. Parking and admission are free, and giveaways and live stats will be available, as well as updates via Twitter/X @HuskerMTennis. Big Red seniors Rudi Christiansen, Shunya Maruyama and Nic Wiedenhorn will be recognized prior to the Sunday match, and fans are encouraged to arrive early for the celebration.

Scouting #1 Ohio State (25-1, 7-0 Big Ten)/Series History:

  1. OSU comes into the final weekend of regular season play with a nearly perfect 25-1 record, undefeated in conference play.
  2. In the 2022-23 season, the Buckeyes finished the season as NCAA runners-up and ranked at No. 2 with a 34-3 record. OSU was perfect in conference play, claiming the Big Ten Tournament title with a 4-0 win over Michigan in the championship.
  3. Head coach Ty Tucker is in his 25th season in the role with the Buckeyes. Tucker has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year 16 times and boasts a career record of 685-101 (.872).
  4. OSU has a large presence in the ITA national rankings, with six doubles duos and six singles players ranked as of April 16. For singles, ranked Buckeyes include #16 JJ Tracy, #17 Cannon Kingsley, #26 Jack Anthrop, #28 Justin Boulais, #112 Robert Cash and #121 Alexander Bernard. For doubles, ranked Buckeyes duos include #3 Robert Cash and JJ Tracy, #24 Justin Boulais and Andrew Lutschaunig, #49 Alexander Bernard and JJ Tracy, #61 Jack Antrhop and Preston Stearns, #82 Bryce Nakashima and Robert Cash, and #89 Justin Boulais and Robert Cash.
  5. OSU’s only loss of the season was at #12 Texas, falling 2-5.  
  6. Series history: 14-0 OSU; Since their first matchup in 2002, the Huskers have gone 0-14 against the Buckeyes.

Scouting Penn State (4-18, 0-7 Big Ten)/Series History:

  1. PSU heads into its final regular season matches with a 4-18 spring record, and a conference mark of 0-7.
  2. Last year, the Nittany Lions finished the season unranked with a 15-12 record.
  3. Head coach Jeff Zinn is in his 11th season in the role with PSU. Zinn has a career coaching record of 524-370 and has achieved four NCAA Tournament appearances.
  4. Prior to playing the Huskers on Sunday, PSU will face Wisconsin on Friday, April 19.
  5. As of April 16, #79 Miko Eala is the only ranked Nittany Lion, with a current record of 14-8.
  6. Series history: 7-5 PSU; Since their first matchup in 2014, the Big Red have gone 5-7 against the Nittany Lions. 

The Huskers are coming off a 2-0 weekend on the road, after defeating #69 Indiana and Purdue. The Big Red defeated the #69 Hoosiers, 5-2, and the Boilermakers, 5-2. NU currently holds a 15-8 mark in the spring season, 4-3 record in conference play and 10-2 mark at home.

With the wins, the Huskers improved to 15-8 (4-3 Big Ten), which is a program best for the last 13 seasons. Fifteen wins is the most for the Big Red since 2011, when the team finished 15-13 (1-5 Big 12). Doubles duo Shunya Maruyama and Leo Linquet also improved to 9-4 in the No. 3 slot, also holding a 3-1 Big Ten record. Maruyama improved to 13-5 in spring singles, and Shepp reached a 9-2 record at No. 2 with his win over Purohit.

On April 16, doubles duo Anton Shepp and Nic Wiedenhorn were ranked nationally by ITA at No. 85. Calvin Mueller was ranked at No. 119 in singles. Also on April 16, Nebraska was ranked by ITA at No. 58 with a 15-8 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.

Giveaways will be held at both final home matches. Fans can enter to win a TV at the Ohio State match and a Valentino’s Gift Card at the Penn State match.

Stay tuned to the Husker Men’s Tennis social media channels to keep up with match updates and content as available.

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