Three members of NIU’s men’s tennis team will be looking to conquer the country this weekend, while the rest of the team will be at NIU playing for fun.

Marty Engel, Dustin Dobrin and Andy Caldwell travel to Austin, Texas this weekend to compete in the Volvo Collegiate Tennis Championship Pre-Qualifying Tournament.

The rest of the team will be in NIU this weekend playing in the Huskie Alumni-Varsity Match.

Engel, Dobrin and Caldwell will be competing against some of the best the country has to offer in Austin, Merzbacher said. “It’s hard not to get up for something like this.”

Even though fall tournaments do not count on a team’s record, the results are still very important to NIU, Merzbacher said.

“Anytime (NIU) can get any recognition, it helps the program,” he said.

Engel, the Huskies’ No. 1 player, is confident he will win enough matches to get into the main draw. “(With the tournament) being on hard-court, my chances are good,” he said.

If a player reaches the main draw, it means he is one of the top 128 players in the NCAA.

One of the players Merzbacher will be watching closely is Dobrin. “I think Dustin is going to get on track this weekend,” Merzbacher said.

While NIU’s big three will be playing for glory in Texas, the rest of the squad will be battling NIU tennis alumni for fun on Saturday morning, Merzbacher said.

“It’s a good way to get the alumni to have some fun, play tennis and go to the (NIU football) game,” Merzbacher added.

Among the alumni coming to play include Paul Gill, who graduated last year, and Mike Hill, who recorded the most men’s tennis wins ever at NIU, Merzbacher said.