When the NIU men’s tennis team walks onto Gullikson Tennis Courts at 1 p.m. Sunday for its match against St. Ambrose, it will confront some foreign faces.

St. Ambrose is led by its No. 1 player from Algeria, whose expertise gave him the opportunity to play in the Davis Cup. Their next player in line is not only deserving of the No. 2 seed at St. Ambrose, but in his home country of the Philippines as well. The Huskies’ match against Chicago State has been cancelled.

Steve Wiere, NIU’s No. 1 singles player, said he is ready for a new challenge.

“You never know about the foreigners,” Wiere said. “Obviously this guy has talent. I look forward to tougher matches because I play better.”

NIU coach Carl Neufeld said he thinks the blend of nationality on the courts should be interesting.

“It’ll be a great chance to see international tennis in the form of collegiate tennis,” Neufeld said.

NIU’s 8-0 decision over Illinois State Tuesday takes the Huskies into the St. Ambrose match with an 11-game winning streak and a 26-8 ledger. St. Ambrose was also victorious over the Redbirds Wednesday, but with a 5-4 win.

Neufeld said his squad is pretty much at a peak, and he wishes he could even redo some of the season.

“Everybody’s playing so well right now, I can think of a couple of Big Ten schools I’d like to play over,” he said.

A free cookout will be provided at courtside for the fans by Neufeld and company.