Men's Tennis | January 22

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team begins its 2026 dual season this weekend with three matches, including two at home. The Huskies host IU Indy at 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23 and Illinois State at 1 p.m. on Saturday before traveling to Chicago State on Sunday morning.

Friday and Saturday's matches will be at the Nelson Tennis Center at Chick Evans Field House and admission is free.

NIU put together positive results in the fall, leading to a growing confidence within the team.

"When teammates see their peers doing well, it develops a collective confidence," said head coach René Vidal. "Overall, the level of team belief is high, but with that comes responsibility and expectations."

The 2025 fall campaign was highlighted by strong showings in the ITA Midwest Regional Championships and Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships in October. Sophomore Nikola Puntaric qualified for the ITA Conference Masters, where he won the co-championship of the singles back draw.

Puntaric qualified for the event by winning the Singles Flight A draw at MAC Indoors, becoming the first NIU player to do so. In doubles, Puntaric and senior Iker Gaztambide Arrastia finished as runner-up in the Flight A draw.

"We're really excited about this season," said Vidal. "In part because of the success we had in the fall, but we have a unique combination of deep experience with three senior co-captains and a sophomore base of talent that's eager to win."

The Huskies three returning seniors are Gaztambide Arrastia, Federico Scotuzzi and Iker Dellien Velasco. Gaztambide Arrastia added All-MAC First Team to his resume last season and sits at 49 career singles wins.

"When you look at Iker Gaztambide Arrastia, he's probably one of the most talented players in the history of our program," said Vidal. "Captain Federico is one of our hardest workers. He's on a mission to build off the success and momentum that he created last year … Captain Dellien, we can always count on him for his high energy and he has a lot of experience."

Vidal described his team as "hungry" heading into the 2026 season.

"It's our last shot at a MAC championship. We want to create history and we believe we have the talent to do so," said Vidal. "Each and every day we're highly intentional with what we're doing in practice and we're just taking one match at a time."

Opening Weekend
NIU begins the season on Friday at 1 p.m. against IU Indy (0-1), a team the Huskies competed with in the fall at the Redbird Invitational. NIU and IU Indy split the four singles matches and two doubles matches in October. Last season's match was also a close battle with the Huskies holding on to a 4-3 win. 

On Saturday, NIU welcomes Illinois State (0-0) for another 1 p.m. match. The Huskies and the Redbirds are familiar with each other as the teams competed across three events in the fall. Illinois State defeated NIU 5-2 in last year's matchup.
 
The Huskies cap their opening weekend with a 9 a.m. start on Sunday at Chicago State (0-2). Yurii Hoida of the Cougars recorded a singles win over Western Michigan in Chicago State's season opener. NIU has played Chicago State in each of the previous three seasons with the Huskies winning each match.