Story by NU Athletic Communications
For the third time in program history, the Nebraska men’s tennis team will compete in the NCAA DI Men’s Tennis Championships. The No. 40 Huskers (15-9, 8-5 Big Ten) accomplished the most conference wins ever in a season, as well as two ranked upsets, led by second-year head coach Peter Kobelt to earn their tournament bid. The Big Red will face Baylor in the first round in Lubbock, Texas on either Friday, May 2, or Saturday, May 3.
Returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 14 years, the Huskers will travel to Texas for the first and second round weekend hosted by Texas Tech. NU is set to take on the No. 18 Baylor Bears for the second time this season, and the 31st ever meeting between teams.
The at-large bid marks the program’s third-ever tournament appearance, the only others coming in 2010 and 2011 under head coach Kerry McDermott. This year, Nebraska joins 36 other at-large selections to make the tournament, which also features seven other Big Ten teams. The field of 64 paves the road to Waco, Texas, for the third and final weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The first and second rounds are hosted at 16 campus sites and will decide which programs make it to the super-regional round, May 9-11.
NU makes the tournament after a tough regular season slate, including 13 ranked opponents with five being in the top 25. The Huskers most notably took down No. 17 Michigan, 5-2, and No. 26 USC, 4-2. Nebraska also reached as high as No. 38 in the ITA team rankings, the highest standing since 2012-13 when NU reached No. 33.
NCAA Tournament matches begin on Friday, May 2 across host sites. Coverage and updates will be shared on Huskers.com and team social media, @HuskerMTennis.