For the young NIU men’s tennis team, the best way to prepare for the future is to go back to the past.

So, the Huskies took on former NIU standouts in an exhibition match Saturday with coach Chuck Merzbacher using the event as an opportunity to expose his troops to opposition other than teammates.

And the Huskies’ varsity team swept all six abbreviated singles matches en route to an 8-1 win in a final tuneup before hitting the fall campaign full-circuit.

“This was good for our team,” Merzbacher explained. “It’s always good to see the alums come back and play well.”

Among the winners were: freshman Marty Engel, who defeated Eric Eberhardt in No. 1 singles, then combined with Matt Green to down Chris Cabanban and Chris Neufeld in a three-set comeback at No. 1 doubles. The varsity veterans fared as well, with Dustin Dobrin prevailing twice, as did junior Steve Senter and senior Ralph Platz.