NU Opens Conference Play Against Michigan State, Michigan

The No. 45 ranked Nebraska men’s tennis team (8-5, 0-0 Big Ten) opens Big Ten conference play this weekend at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center. The Huskers play No. 74 Michigan State on Friday, March 24 at 5 p.m. and No. 5 Michigan on Sunday, March 26 at 12 p.m. Live stream and stats will be available on Huskers.com, and updates will be posted on @HuskerMTennis on Twitter.

Scouting Michigan State (6-7, 0-0 Big Ten)

• The Spartans travel to Lincoln coming off a 4-1 win over then-ranked No. 61 Drake. The last three matches for MSU have all come against ranked opponents, with the Spartans going 1-2 in that span.

• Ozan Baris enters the match as the top singles player for Michigan State, ranked at No. 51 in singles. The Spartans also have the No. 17 ranked doubles pair of Baris and Max Sheldon. 

Series History

Nebraska is 8-5 all-time against Michigan State. The Huskers won the most recent matchup 4-3 on March 27, 2022, in East Lansing. NU has won seven of the last eight meetings.

Scouting Michigan (13-2, 0-0 Big Ten)

• Michigan is coming off a 4-2 loss to then-ranked No. 4 Ohio State. The Wolverines have seven ranked wins this season, including three against top-10 opponents.

• Michigan has five players ranked in singles and one ranked doubles pair. The top singles player is Andrew Fenty, ranked No. 10. Fenty and Gavin Young are ranked No. 8 in doubles.

Series History

Nebraska is 1-9 all-time against Michigan, with the Big Red’s last win coming in March of 2015. Michigan won the most recent matchup 4-0 in Ann Arbor on March 25, 2022.

Huskers Move Up in the ITA Team Rankings

The Huskers jumped from No. 47 to No. 45 in this week’s ITA team tennis rankings. This marks the fourth consecutive week the Huskers have been ranked.

Hietaranta Named Athlete of the Week

Roni Hietaranta was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week for the week of March 15 for his strong performance in Nebraska’s 4-0 win over Omaha. Hietaranta won both his doubles and singles matches, the latter of which clinched the overall victory for the Big Red. It was the third straight week a Husker won the award, with Shunya Maruyama and William Gleason winning the two previous weeks.

Up Next

The Huskers hit the road to take on No. 2 Ohio State on Friday, March 31 and No. 63 Penn State on Sunday, April 2.