DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team will hit the road for the final weekend before beginning conference play as the Huskies travel to the State of Nebraska to face Creighton and Nebraska. NIU will visit the Bluejays on Friday, March 2, before facing the Cornhuskers on Saturday, March 3. 

NIU (9-4) is coming off a weekend split last week in which the Huskies fell to Xavier, 5-1, in to open the weekend (Feb. 24) before rebounding to top Wright State, 5-2, to finish the weekend (Feb. 25). 

Freshman Kristopher Ortega (Homer Glen, Ill./Seton Home Study School) has won eight dual matches to pace the Huskies, seniors Louis-Philippe Hamel (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada) and Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium) have each won seven singles matches. 

Creighton enters the weekend with a 2-7 overall record, Daniel Lopez-Ray leads the Bluejays with four dual match victories. NIU and Creighton both played in the Drake Invitational during the fall portion of the season, with the two teams meeting in four singles matches. 

Nebraska has a 7-1 record entering weekend play, the Cornhuskers will host Denver on Friday. Linus Erhart is a perfect 8-0 in dual matches for the Cornhuskers, Toby Boyer and William Grattan Smith are also both unbeaten in dual matches at 6-0. 

NIU will be off next weekend and will begin league play on Friday, March 16, when the Huskies host Binghamton in Rockford.