Even a rain-forced postponement can’t dampen the enthusiasm of the NIU men’s tennis team.

Friday’s rains coupled with more rain in the forecast for March 31 and the lack of available indoor facilities forced Illinois State and NIU to postpone Saturday’s scheduled 1 p.m. match. The remake is set for Tuesday, April 10, at 2:30 p.m. in Normal, Ill.

As a result, missing out on the match at ISU allowed the Huskies to savor their winning performance in the March 29 collegiate doubles exhibition at the Volvo Tennis of Chicago Tournament. NIU’s No. 1 double duo of Greg O’Neil and Erik Andersch won a 7-1 tiebreaker to claim a 4-3 single-set triumph over Northwestern’s Marc Eisen and Chris Gregersen.

The exhibition match was a prelim to Ivan Lendl’s 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 victory over Leif Shiras at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion.

“It was a great experience for Greg and Erik. I think they really enjoyed being in the limelight in front of 2,000 people. They hardly missed a shot—they really played well,” NIU coach Charles Merzbacher added.

The Huskies look to improve on an 11-11 ledger on April 3 when Wheaton College comes to DeKalb for NIU’s only outdoor home meet of the spring. The match is set for 3 p.m. at the Gullikson Tennis Courts adjacent to Anderson Hall.