2008 Woodie Awards
Huskers head outdoors for Fresno road match
Jeff Straub
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Sports
All the frigid Nebraska weather has forced the Cornhusker men's tennis team to look for sunnier conditions by heading to California.
Friday night, the No. 69-ranked Huskers (4-3) will swap shots on the courts with the Fresno State Bulldogs (6-2). It won't be a laughing matter for either team. Both are ranked nationally, with FSU currently holding the 71st spot in the country.
This will be NU's first road test of the spring season; it has played seven straight home meets to kick off the season. Nebraska Coach Kerry McDermott said he is hopeful his team can pick up a win that will look good on the resume.
"It will be a very quality, competitive match," McDermott said. "Mostly because it'll be the first time we've played outside since October. We're ready to take them on and see what we can do."
McDermott said this match will be similar to what Nebraska saw against Drake last week. He said Fresno's No. 1 and 2 singles players are impressive, much like DU's top players, who fared well against the Huskers. He also said the doubles point will be crucial if NU is to come home victorious.
Nebraska expects a tough match, though Fresno State is 0-2 against ranked teams this year. However, the Bulldogs have won their last four matches by a score of 27-1 and are undefeated at home, going 5-0 so far this season.
McDermott did say that NU junior Hendrik Stahmer, sophomore David Bendheim and freshman Calin Paar will play top three in singles. The coach said Paar will be challenged again this week, as he will face one of the Bulldogs' top two players for his singles match.
Sophomore Francois Van Impe and junior Renato Melo will fill the four and five slots, respectively, for singles. McDermott said the six spot is wide open. Anybody from seniors Mark Tate and Karl Jones to freshman Tobias Schneider could step up and fill those shoes on Friday.
Melo hails from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where the average temperature for the year is 70 degrees with highs nearing the 90s in January and February. When he came to Nebraska and experienced for the first time how cold it can be, he said he immediately disliked the weather.
He said going out to California for the weekend suits him fine. It will be hotter, and he gets the chance to play tennis outdoors, something he'd been doing all his life in Brazil.
There's a slight chance that none of the Huskers will get to play if poor weather gets in the way. The forecast for Fresno calls for rain both Friday and Saturday.
The team could experience a bit of déjà vu. Last spring, the Bulldogs and Huskers never faced each other because it rained in Fresno. NU also plays Big 12 Conference South teams on their outdoor courts later on this spring, so every bit of experience helps.
"Any opportunity we get to play outside, at this point, we try to cherish it," McDermott said, "and hope that it will all work to our advantage later in April."
jeffstraub@dailynebraskan.com
Friday night, the No. 69-ranked Huskers (4-3) will swap shots on the courts with the Fresno State Bulldogs (6-2). It won't be a laughing matter for either team. Both are ranked nationally, with FSU currently holding the 71st spot in the country.
This will be NU's first road test of the spring season; it has played seven straight home meets to kick off the season. Nebraska Coach Kerry McDermott said he is hopeful his team can pick up a win that will look good on the resume.
"It will be a very quality, competitive match," McDermott said. "Mostly because it'll be the first time we've played outside since October. We're ready to take them on and see what we can do."
McDermott said this match will be similar to what Nebraska saw against Drake last week. He said Fresno's No. 1 and 2 singles players are impressive, much like DU's top players, who fared well against the Huskers. He also said the doubles point will be crucial if NU is to come home victorious.
Nebraska expects a tough match, though Fresno State is 0-2 against ranked teams this year. However, the Bulldogs have won their last four matches by a score of 27-1 and are undefeated at home, going 5-0 so far this season.
McDermott did say that NU junior Hendrik Stahmer, sophomore David Bendheim and freshman Calin Paar will play top three in singles. The coach said Paar will be challenged again this week, as he will face one of the Bulldogs' top two players for his singles match.
Sophomore Francois Van Impe and junior Renato Melo will fill the four and five slots, respectively, for singles. McDermott said the six spot is wide open. Anybody from seniors Mark Tate and Karl Jones to freshman Tobias Schneider could step up and fill those shoes on Friday.
Melo hails from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where the average temperature for the year is 70 degrees with highs nearing the 90s in January and February. When he came to Nebraska and experienced for the first time how cold it can be, he said he immediately disliked the weather.
He said going out to California for the weekend suits him fine. It will be hotter, and he gets the chance to play tennis outdoors, something he'd been doing all his life in Brazil.
There's a slight chance that none of the Huskers will get to play if poor weather gets in the way. The forecast for Fresno calls for rain both Friday and Saturday.
The team could experience a bit of déjà vu. Last spring, the Bulldogs and Huskers never faced each other because it rained in Fresno. NU also plays Big 12 Conference South teams on their outdoor courts later on this spring, so every bit of experience helps.
"Any opportunity we get to play outside, at this point, we try to cherish it," McDermott said, "and hope that it will all work to our advantage later in April."
jeffstraub@dailynebraskan.com
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