HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky's men's tennis continues its season this weekend, hitting the road for a pair of matches in Illinois. The Norse take on Eastern Illinois on Friday, February 14 followed by Chicago State on Saturday, February 15. On Friday, first serve is set for 12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET while Saturday's match will begin at 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET.
NKU's men are coming off a 7-0 win over neighboring opponent, Thomas More. NKU's doubles team of
Andrew Niehaus and
Jorge Rodriguez Agudo posted a 6-1 win in No. 2 doubles, while the point was clinched on the No. 3 court with the duo of
Nick Elleman and
Brandon Ponomarew.
Emilien Burnel and
Nathan Schwartz went on to make it a clean sheet for the Norse in doubles with a 6-3 victory in the top flight. The Norse did not let down in singles action, with each player winning in straight sets. Schwartz provided the clinching point, in a dominant 6-4, 6-1 victory.
Eastern Illinois' men hold a 7-4 record and have yet to face a league opponent this season. The Panthers are coming off a 7-0 loss to Oral Roberts and 6-1 loss to Ball State, and have faced Horizon League opponent UIC, posting a 4-3 victory. Daniel Hernandez tops the lineup with a 5-3 record. The pairing of Mike Jansen and Freddie O'Brien has proven to be almost unstoppable, accumulating a 5-1 No.1 doubles record. In their last meetup on February 23, 2019, the Norse posted a 4-1 victory over the Panthers.
The Cougars' squad is 0-7 on the season, with its closest matches coming against Saint Louis and Horizon League opponent IUPUI, 4-3. In their last match, doubles pairs of Cody Wurzelbacher/Pedja Kolaric and Jakob Zamorski/Javier Sanchez Pradillo clinched the first point of the game. Zamorski and Wurzelbacher went on to win their singles point on the No. 5 and No. 6 courts, but fell short just one point. The last time the Cougars and Norse squared off was March 8, 2014 when NKU defeated CSU, 5-2.
For more information on NKU men's and women's tennis program, follow the team on Twitter @NKUNorseTennis, Instagram @nkunorsetennis or at facebook.com/nkunorsetennis.
