Lincoln, Neb. – The No. 73 Nebraska men’s tennis team (9-14, 5-3 Big Ten) gathered its third-straight conference win against the Penn State Nittany Lions (13-12, 3-5 Big Ten), 4-1 at the Dillon Tennis Center on Friday afternoon. It’s the first time since NU’s first season in the Big Ten that the Huskers have won three straight conference matches.
With the win, the Huskers secured their first ever five-win season since joining the conference and was just the third, five-win season in program history. The last time Nebraska won five conference matches in a season came in 1989, when the Huskers finished second in the Big Eight with a 5-1 record with a team that featured 1989 NCAA runner-up Steven Jung. The victory also guaranteed Nebraska its first winning season in conference play since 1993, when NU was a member of the Big 8.
Action started with doubles play as the No. 1 team of Victor Moreno Lozano and Nic Wiedenhorn knocked off Penn State’s Malik Bhatnagar and Charl Morgan, 6-3. It was the duo’s third win in their last four completed matches. In the No. 2 spot, Dario Huber and Shunya Maruyama fell just short to the Nittany Lions’ duo of Bora Sengul and Miko Eala, 6-4, to even the doubles point at one.
William Gleason and Calvin Mueller earned the doubles point for Nebraska in the No. 3 spot as they were victorious over Loren Byers and Sam Bossem, 6-3, giving the Huskers a 1-0 lead. The team is now 3-1 in conference play since their first match together on April 8 against Illinois.
In singles play, Maruyama rolled to a win over Sengul in consecutive sets, 6-0, 6-1, to give the Huskers their second match point. It was his second-straight singles victory after winning last Saturday against Purdue. Moreno then dropped his match against Bossem in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Roni Hietaranta rallied back from down 4-1 in the second set, as he scored the next five points and took the match in the No. 4 spot, 6-3, 6-4. The Lappeenranta, Finland native earned his team-high 14th victory of the season and extended the Nebraska advantage to 3-1.
Wiedenhorn clinched the third-straight conference victory for the Big Red, as he defeated Morgan, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. It was his second-straight victory as he secured the match for the Huskers, 4-1. Huber and Gleason both saw their matches go unfinished in the No. 1 and No. 5 spots respectively.
Nebraska moves to 9-14 on the season and finishes 5-3 in conference play.
The Huskers will now travel to Madison, Wisc. as they take part in the Big Ten Championships. The tournament spans across four days (April 28 – May 1) and will use a bracket format to determine a postseason conference champion.
No. 73 Nebraska 4, Penn State 1
Singles Competition:
1. Dario Huber (NEB) vs. Miko Eala (PSU) 7-6(5), 6-5, unfinished
2. Shunya Maruyama (NEB) def. Bora Sengul (PSU) 6-0, 6-1
3. Sam Bossem (PSU) def. Victor Moreno Lozano (NEB) 6-3, 6-4
4. Roni Hietaranta (NEB) def. Loren Byers (PSU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Malik Bhatnagar (PSU) vs. William Gleason (NEB) 1-6, 6-3, 4-4, unfinished
6. Nic Wiedenhorn (NEB) def. Charl Morgan (PSU) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Doubles Competition:
1. Nic Wiedenhorn/Victor Moreno Lozano (NEB) def. Malik Bhatnagar/Charl Morgan (PSU) 6-3
2. Bora Sengul/Miko Eala (PSU) def. #64 Dario Huber/Shunya Maruyama (NEB) 6-4
3. Calvin Mueller/William Gleason (NEB) def. Loren Byers/Sam Bossem (PSU) 6-3
Match Notes:
No. 73 Nebraska (9-14)
Penn State (13-12)
Order of Finish: Doubles (1, 2, 3) Singles (2, 3, 4, 6)
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