Huskers Drop 6-1 Decision to Buckeyes

Columbus, Ohio - The Nebraska men's tennis team (12-14, 3-8 Big Ten) dropped its final regular-season match 6-1 to Ohio State (27-3, 11-0 Big Ten) on Sunday. The Huskers dropped the doubles point and only one Big Red player was able to capture a singles court before the match went to the Buckeyes.

In doubles, Ohio State's No. 50-ranked Peter Kobelt and Ralf Steinbach ousted Nebraska's Brandon Videtich and Bradford Zitsch 8-5 at the No. 1 position while fellow Buckeyes Kevin Metka and Herkko Pollanen scorched the Huskers' Dusty Boyer and Marc Herrmann 8-1 at the No. 2 spot. The final doubles match at the No. 3 went unfinished once the point was decided.

In singles, Ohio State's No. 110 Hunter Callahan dominated Nebraska's Zitsch 6-1, 6-1 at the No. 6 while fellow Buckeye Chris Diaz rolled past the Huskers' Tom Blackwell 6-2, 6-0 at the No. 3 spot. At the No. 1 court, OSU's No. 7-ranked Kobelt outpaced NU's No. 111-ranked Boyer 6-1, 6-1 to give the match to Ohio State.

At the No. 2 court, Nebraska's Herrmann earned a point over Ohio State's No. 93-ranked Pollanen 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 (10-4) while the Buckeyes' Metka outlasted the Huskers' Vasileios Stavropoulos 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 5 spot. The No. 4 position ended with no result.

With the regular season over, Nebraska heads to the Big Ten Tournament next with their first match on Thursday, April 24 at 10 a.m. against Michigan State. The tournament is hosted by the Spartans in East Lansing, Mich., and the matches will be played at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts.

No. 63 Nebraska - 1
No. 1 Ohio State - 6
Columbus, Ohio

Singles
1. No. 7 Peter Kobelt (OSU) def. No. 111 Dusty Boyer (NU) 6-1, 6-1
2. Marc Herrmann (NU) def. No. 93 Herkko Pollanen (OSU) 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 (10-4)
3. Chris Diaz (OSU) def. Tom Blackwell (NU) 6-2, 6-0
4. Ralf Steinbach (OSU) def. Andrew Dzulynsky (NU) 6-2, 3-6, 0-1 (16-18)
5. Kevin Metka (OSU) def. Vasileios Stavropoulos (NU) 6-3, 6-3
6. No. 110 Hunter Callahan (OSU) def. Bradford Zitsch (NU) 6-1, 6-1

Order of finish (6, 3, 1, 2, 5, 4)

Doubles
1. No. 50 Peter Kobelt/Ralf Steinbach (OSU) def. Brandon Videtich/Bradford Zitsch (NU) 8-5
2. Kevin Metka/Herkko Pollanen (OSU) def. Dusty Boyer/Marc Herrmann (NU) 8-1
3. Hunter Callahan/Chris Diaz (OSU) vs. Scott Elsass/Tom Blackwell (NU) DNF

Order of finish (2, 1)