April 5, 2012
RENO, Nev. - The University Nevada women's tennis and men's teams will welcome a total of four opponents to Reno this weekend from Friday-Sunday at two venues.
The women's team will meet UC Davis on Friday at noon and Pacific on Saturday at noon, with both matches taking place at Caughlin Club. The men's team will take on New Mexico State on Friday at 2 p.m. and Portland State on Sunday at 10 a.m., with both matches taking place at Lakeridge Tennis Club. Admission will be free to all of the weekend's contests.
The Nevada women are 3-8 (0-1 WAC); while UC Davis is 5-9 and Pacific is 4-10 (1-3 Big West). Friday's contest with UC Davis will be Nevada's home-opener, which will be held on the first six courts at Caughlin Club for the third consecutive season.
Three players have double-digit singles wins overall for Nevada this season. Michelle Okhremchuk is 16-9, Emma Verberne is 13-12 and Sophie Stevens is 11-11. The trio has combined for 16 singles wins in dual play.
Stevens has won her last two singles matches, while Okhremchuk and Verberne teamed up to get a win at the No. 1 doubles position against No. 57 Fresno State their last time out.
The Nevada men are 7-9 (1-2 WAC). New Mexico State is 5-13 (1-3 WAC) and Portland State is 2-13 (0-6 Big Sky). This will be the second time Nevada has hosted matches this season, as they split with Sacramento State and Pacific from March 2-3.
Wessim Derbel continues to lead the Pack in his final season, with a 22-6 overall record in singles play. In dual play, Derbel boasts a stellar 12-4 mark. This season is the first time the native of La Marsa, Tunisia has won more than 20 matches in a season. He is two wins away from the third-best single season mark, and five from the top spot. The 27 singles matches Derbel's former teammate Laurent Garcin won in 2007-08 still stand as the most in a season.
Derbel has won 64 times in his career, which puts him third all-time, one win ahead of Chris Long (1979-84). He is 8 matches away from Garcin for the top career spot as well, and is chasing Bryan McQuown (1978-81) in second place with 69 wins.
Victor Ouvrard will look for his 16th singles win on Friday, sitting at 15-10 overall and 9-7 in dual play.
Friday's match with New Mexico State has major seeding implications going into the WAC tournament for the Wolf Pack. With a win over Idaho earlier in the year and the Vandals defeat of New Mexico State, a win Friday would put Nevada ahead of both teams with only one conference event left on the Pack's schedule.
