Lincoln, Neb. – Nebraska’s Calvin Mueller has claimed his second Big Ten Men’s Tennis Player of the Week Honor of the season and third of his career, announced Wednesday morning. The honor is also the third for the Huskers this season, as Anton Shepp was recognized on Jan. 17, 2024 and Mueller on Jan. 24, 2024. The junior had a dominant finish to the end of the regular season, most recently taking down top-ranked Ohio State’s No. 28, now No. 33, Justin Boulais and Penn State’s No. 79, now No. 83, Miko Eala.
Mueller, a junior from Bruchkoebel, Germany, is in his third year with the Big Red. He finished the regular season with a perfect 5-0 record against ranked Big Ten opponents, all of which the junior was unranked or the lower rank. Four of his upset victories were won in straight sets for the business administration major, who currently leads the Big Red with a spring singles record of 16-8, and season record of 26-11. Mueller was recently ranked at No. 80 by ITA, being his third national ranking, and first in the top-100.
Mueller was recognized for his competition in the final weekend of the regular season where he tallied two more ranked conference wins. Mueller defeated No. 28 Justin Boulais with a dominant 6-3, 6-4 victory. The win was one of only six over Boulais by anyone this season, it was also the highest ranked opponent Mueller has faced. The win at No. 1 singles aided the Huskers in becoming the only team outside the top 25 to get a point off of top-ranked OSU this season. Two days later, Mueller faced and defeated Penn State’s No. 79 Miko Eala, 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 [10-5].
The 2023 Big Ten Individual Singles Champion frequently plays in the No. 1 or No. 2 singles position for the Big Red, and after his 26th win, is now tied at No. 5 for the program record of wins in a single season. Mueller is the only current Husker to have been named Big Ten Player of the Week twice in a season.
Mueller and the Big Red begin postseason play at the Big Ten Tournament, hosted by Northwestern. The Huskers hold the No. 5 seed, and will face No. 4 Illinois in the quarterfinals on Friday, April 26. First serve is set for 11 a.m. (CT), and live stats and stream will be available, as well as updates on Twitter/X @HuskerMTennis.
2024 Big Ten Men’s Tennis Player of the Week
Jan. 10: Karlis Ozolins, Jr., ILL
Jan. 17: Anton Shepp, Jr., NEB
Jan. 24: Calvin Mueller, Jr., NEB
Jan. 31: Justin Boulais, 5th, OSU
Feb. 7: Cannon Kingsley, 5th, OSU
Feb. 14: Presley Thieneman, Sr., NU
Feb. 21: JJ Tracy, Sr., OSU
Feb. 28: Ronald Hohmann III, Gr., MSU | Cannon Kingsley, 5th, OSU
March 6: Gavin Young, Sr., MICH | Soham Purohit, Fr., PUR
March 13: Hunter Heck, Sr., ILL
March 20: Justin Boulais, 5th, OSU
March 27: Miko Eala, Sr., PSU
April 3: Ozan Baris, So., MSU
April 10: Jacob Bickersteth, Sr., MICH
April 17: JJ Tracy, Sr., OSU
April 24: Calvin Mueller, Jr., NEB
