OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha men's tennis schedule starts full throttle this weekend with a pair of non-conference matches. On Saturday, the Mavericks travel to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Dillon Tennis Center at 2 p.m. UNO will open the home portion of the 2016 schedule on Sunday against Doane. The match is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. at the Miracle Hill Tennis Center.
Freshmen Crucial in Win
Omaha played three freshmen in its singles and doubles line up last Friday at North Dakota and the trio played a big part in the win. Alex Woodward won his singles match over Connor Oberle in two close sets and then teamed with Erik Anderson to pick up a win at No. 3 doubles, 6-1. Matt Dunn dropped his singles match in split sets at the No. 2 to Ty Misialek, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. He teamed with fellow freshman Brent McKnight at No. 2 doubles and defeated Oberle and Misialek, 6-3.
Coming Up Clutch
Juniors Colin Buckley (No. 1 singles) and John Ellis (No. 6 singles) each came up with big wins to secure the win over UND. Ellis won two tight sets from Eshan Varma at No. 6, 6-4, 7-6 (7). His win tied the match at 3-3 setting up the deciding match at No. 1 singles. Even though Buckley won the match over David Bergstrom in straight sets, both sets went into tie breakers. Buckley won the match, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5), for the team win.
Scouting the Huskers
Nebraska will be playing its first dual of the season on Saturday. The Huskers finished the 2015 season with an 11-14 overall record and a 3-8 mark in the Big 10. Nebraska also went 1-1 at the Big Ten tournament in Champaign last season. NU returns last season's No. 1 player Dusty Boyer who finished the season 14-8. They also return marc Hermann (No. 2), Andrew Dzulynsky (No. 4/5), Scott Elsass, Marc Herrmann (No. 2), Chris Schindler, and Bradford Zitsch (No. 6).
Scouting Doane
Doane will open the 2016 season on Sunday against Omaha. Last season, the Tigers finished the season 9-6 overall and 4-1 in Great Plains Athletic Conference play. Doane fell in the GPAC Championship to Hastings College, 5-1. Doane returns No. 1 player Sebastian Gardefjord who finished the season 10-4 overall and 4-1 in conference play. Also returning for the Tigers are Kristian Kiland (No. 2), and Aaron Cook (No. 6).
A History Lesson
Omaha and Nebraska will be meeting for the third time in program history. The Cornhuskers have won the previous two match-ups. Last season, NU topped UNO 7-0 in Lincoln.
UNO and Doane will be meeting for the third time in program history. The Mavericks own a 2-0 all-time series lead. In their last meeting, the Mavericks defeated the Tigers 8-1 during the 2010 season.
Last Time Out: North Dakota
GRAND FORKS, North Dakota – The Omaha men's tennis team rallied for a thrilling 4-3 victory over North Dakota Friday afternoon at Choice Health & Fitness Center in Grand Forks.
“North Dakota always competes very hard,” said Omaha head coach Tyson Thomas. “It's great for the guys to pull out this win. We were down 2-3 and John (Ellis) and Colin (Buckley) stepped up as upperclassmen to close out their matches.”
The Mavericks took a 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point, which proved to be crucial. Omaha got wins at No. 2 and No. 3. Freshmen Matt Dunn and Brent McKnight teamed up for their first college win at No. 2 doubles by defeating Connor Oberle and Ty Misialek, 6-3. Senior Erik Anderson and freshman Alex Woodward made quick work of Joe Lee and Matt Hokanson at No. 3 doubles, 6-1. North Dakota stopped Omaha at No. 1 doubles, 6-4.
In singles, the Fighting Hawks took the lead with wins at No. 5 and No. 4. Anderson dropped his singles match to Lee in straight sets at No. 5, 6-4, 6-1. Marko Minic fell to Travis Lau at No. 4 in a tight match, 6-4, 6-4. Omaha tied the match at 2-2 as Woodward picked up his first collegiate singles win over Oberle at No. 3, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
North Dakota retook the lead with a win at No. 2 singles. Misialek topped Dunn in split sets, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. Omaha rallied to win the final two matches. John Ellis topped Eshan Varma, 6-4, 7-6 (7) at No. 6. Buckley clinched the team victory with a hard fought win at No. 1 singles. He defeated David Bergstrom, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5).
“I am proud of the guys for the tenacity and focus they showed under pressure,” said Thomas. “It's really nice to see the kids respond with such gutsy play and fight. These guys are a competitive group."
Up Next
The Mavericks will play three home matches next weekend at Miracle Hill Tennis Center. Omaha will open the weekend against in-state foe Concordia on Friday, Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. UNO will welcome non-conference foe Illinois State to the Hill on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. Omaha will open Summit League play against No. 61 and defending conference champs Denver on Sunday, Jan. 31 at noon.
