Feb. 28, 2001

The University of Missouri tennis team will play Nebraska Saturday at the Woods Tennis Center in Lincoln, Neb., at 10 a.m. in a Big 12 Conference match.

Missouri enters the dual with an 8-2 overall record and a 2-2 Big 12 record. Nebraska is also 8-2 overall but is 0-2 in the Big 12. The Cornhuskers lost to Texas and Texas A&M last weekend.

Recent Action: The Tigers defeated Iowa State 6-1 on Feb. 24 at the Kansas City Country Club. Missouri's eight wins are the most since a 10-16 mark in 1999 and doubles the win total put up in 2000.

Winning Streaks: The Tigers' success could be due to its lower half of the lineup. Missouri has posted a 25-5 mark with the numbers 4-5-6 players in the lineup. All five losses have come during Big 12 play.

Top Marks: A pair of freshman, Cassie Drake and Urska Juric, are off to a hot start. Drake has posted a 9-1 mark this spring while Juric, Kristina Olshanskaya and Caitlin Thompson are all 8-2.

Head Coach: The Tigers are under the direction of Blake Starkey. Starkey, an 1989 Eastern Kentucky graduate, was an assistant coach at Maryland before taking the MU position.