OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha men's tennis team opens the 2016 season on the road Friday against North Dakota. UNO enters the spring looking to build on momentum from the fall campaign. The Mavericks will face the Fighting Hawks at 1 p.m. at the Choice Health & Fitness Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
The Team
Omaha returns a core of six letterwinners from 2015: senior Erik Anderson, juniors Colin Buckley, John Ellis, and Lukas Vanzura, and sophomores Marko Minic and Ignace Warson. Six newcomers have been added to the roster starting with transfer Biraj Parajuli along with freshman Matt Dunn, Brent McKnight, Bryce Medhi, Sean Padios, and Alex Woodward.
The Schedule
The Mavericks play a full 25-match schedule this season, including five Summit League matches. Omaha opens the season on the road with matches at North Dakota (Jan. 15) and at Nebraska (Jan. 23), before five straight home matches at the Miracle Hill Tennis Center. UNO has five Summit League matches on tap, beginning with Denver on Jan. 31. The Mavericks host Western Illinois, IUPUI, and South Dakota State for home league matches, while the lone road match is at Oral Roberts. UNO will host the Summit League Men's Tennis Championships April 28-30.
Last season
Last season, the Mavericks finished with a 3-21 overall mark and a 1-5 record in Summit League play. UND finished last spring 6-12 overall and 1-10 in Big Sky action.
A History Lesson
Omaha and North Dakota have met three times on the court prior to Friday's contest. UND has won all three meetings.
North Dakota defeated Omaha at Miracle Hill Tennis Center last season, 5-2.
Mavs Picked Fifth
The Omaha men's tennis team was picked to finish fifth in the 2016 Summit League Preseason Poll released by the conference office based on a vote of the league's head coaches.
Denver is favored to claim the 2016 Summit League Men's Tennis Championship according to the preseason poll of league head coaches. The Pioneers are ranked No. 51 in the latest (Jan. 5) ITA Rankings and are two-time reigning champions after claiming both the regular season and tournament titles in each of their first two seasons in the league.
UNO returns six letter winners from its 2015 squad, led by Erik Anderson, Colin Buckley, and John Ellis. The Mavericks line-up will also feature a crop of six freshmen. Head coach Tyson Thomas is in his second season with the program.
The 2016 Summit League schedule begins Jan. 31 when UNO hosts Denver and culminates with The Summit League Tennis Championships, hosted by Omaha, April 28-30.
Reekie Inks with Omaha Tennis
Head coach Tyson Thomas and the Omaha men's tennis program announced the signing of Nathan Reekie for the 2016-17 season.
Reekie, a 6'3, right handed player from Sugar Land, Texas, brings an impressive resume to the squad. He is currently rated a 3 Star recruit by the Tennis Recruiting Network and is the 26th rated player in the state of Texas. Reekie has put together an impressive 19-1 singles record at Stephen F. Austin High School during his career. During his prep career, he has placed fourth in the regional tournament and has been a district runner-up.
During the summer, Reekie was a member of the Texas U-16 tennis team that captured the USTA Team Championships.
Up Next
The Mavericks will play two matches next weekend. First, Omaha will travel to Lincoln, Neb. to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. UNO will open the home portion of its season on Sunday, Jan. 24 against Doane at Miracle Hill Tennis Center. The match is set to start at 4 p.m.
