Huskers to Open Fall Season at Bobby Bayliss Invitational

The new-look Nebraska men's tennis team will take the court for the first time on Friday when they compete at the Bobby Bayliss Invitational in South Bend, Ind. Hosted by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the invitational includes more than 60 players from 10 different schools and will run through Sunday, Sept. 22 at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.

The 2019-20 Huskers lineup under the direction of second-year Head Coach Sean Maymi will feature a combination of familiar faces and new names. Papillion native Chris Dean is the lone senior on the team and returns following an injury-riddled junior campaign. Dean battled his way to 6-5 doubles record and four singles victories one season ago. 

Lincoln native Will Gleason returns following a phenomenal freshman season in which he posted a team-best 6-4 singles mark in conference play, the best conference record by a Husker since three-time All-Big Ten selection Dusty Boyer went 4-7 during the 2015-16 season. 

The final familiar face is sophomore Victor Moreno Lozano. The sophomore from Madrid, Spain, competed in the No. 3 and No. 4 singles spots last season, compiling an overall record of 19-18. Lozano reached the Round of 32 at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Fall Central Region during the Fall 2018 season and is poised to take a step forward. 

Leading the crop of newcomers is a pair of transfers. Patrick Cacciatore spent one collegiate season competing at South Carolina before joining the Huskers over the summer. The former five-star recruit from Tampa, Fla., recorded a 14-6 overall record in his lone season with the Gamecocks and is primed for immediate success with the Big Red. Joining Patrick is Bradley Mittleman, who returns to the Midwest after one season at Old Dominion University. The No. 2 recruit in the state of Kansas in 2018, Mittleman posted a 4-1 singles mark during the fall portion of the 2018-19 season.   

The Huskers will also welcome a highly-touted four-member freshman class. Five-star recruit Andre Saleh comes to Nebraska from Newport, Calif., where he was the No.13-ranked player in the state. The freshman will look to make an immediate impact with the Huskers this season. 

Chester Wickwire was also highly sought after on the recruiting trail before choosing Nebraska. Wickwire was a four-star recruit and rated as the No. 4 prep player in the state of Ohio. 

The Huskers will also have two freshmen from the international tennis ranks. Shunya Maruyama is a four-time International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Doubles Champion who calls Nagano, Japan, home while Albert Sprlak Puk is a Brno, Czech Republic, native and was ranked in the top-200 in the ITF Junior Rankings after competing in four ITF Futures events in his home country.
  
The Bobby Bayliss Invitational begins Friday at 9 a.m. CT with singles matches and doubles play is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. Play will continue through Saturday and conclude Sunday afternoon.

Bobby Bayliss Invitational Schedule of Play
Friday | 1 Round of Singles, 2 Rounds of Doubles
Saturday | 2 Rounds of Singles
Sunday | 1 Round of Singles, 1 Round of Doubles