Trio of Huskers Stay Alive at 2003 Omni Hotels Region V Championships

Tulsa, Okla. --- Closing out the fall season, the Nebraska men's tennis team saw three players advance after the first day of action Friday at the 2003 Omni Hotels Region V Championships held at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center on the University of Tulsa campus. The event includes singles and doubles players from 17 teams in the central region.

Sophomore Joerg Barthel and junior Jose Rivera advanced to Saturday's second round of doubles play after dispatching Cuan Farguharson and Wessel Kemp of Oral Roberts, 8-5, in the first round Friday night. Rivera and Barthel, who entered the four-day regional qualifier as the No. 2 seed in doubles play, will next face Southwest Missouri State's Nenand Curcic and Filip Knezevic in the round of 16.

Rivera and Barthel still have a chance to reach the ITA Indoor National Tournament in January. The winner of the doubles main draw receives an automatic berth into the national tournament.

Junior Joel Reckewey, unseeded in the main draw, also remained alive, although he is in the consolation singles bracket where he received a bye in the first round Friday night. Reckewey was ousted from the main draw in his first match of the day, falling to Alex Nomicos of Southern Illinois, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3. Reckewey will face Arkansas-Little Rock's Mark Edney in the consolation round of the 32 on Saturday.

Nebraska's top-rated singles player as the No. 9 seed in the tournament, Barthel defeated Evansville's Derek Boland in the first round of the main draw Friday. Barthel, who has played sparingly in the fall because of injuries, easily outdistanced Boland, taking a 6-2, 7-5, victory to advance to the main draw round of 32 where he fell in a tough 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, contest against Arkansas' Imran Ismail.

Nebraska's other unseeded singles entrants included Rivera and senior Jeff Nabity. Rivera won his first match of the day, holding on for a 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, victory over Goran Vujaklija of Wichita State to pick up his ninth win in his last 12 matches this fall. Rivera then fell in the second round of the main draw to Anthony Perkins of Drake, 6-3, 7-5. Nabity dropped both of his matches in singles play, as he fell to No. 2 seed Adrians Zguns of Arkansas, 6-1, 6-3, in the first round before being tripped up by Alexei Poutchinets of Arkansas-Little Rock, 6-2, 6-2.

In other doubles action, the Husker tandem of Nabity and Reckewey ended their fall season when they dropped their first contest of the day to Richard Harrison and Joe Kane of UMKC, 8-6. Unlike singles play, the doubles tournament does not have a consolation bracket.

Nebraska will continue doubles play at the Region V Championships on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 9 a.m.

ITA Region V Championships
Oct. 17, 2003, at Tulsa, Okla.

Doubles
No. 2 Joerg Barthel/Jose Rivera (NU) def. Cuan Farguharson/Wessel Kem (ORU), 8-5
Richard Harrison/Joe Kane (UMKC) def. Joel Reckewey/Jeff Nabity (NU), 8-6

Singles
No. 9 Joerg Barthel (NU) def. Derek Boland (EU), 6-2, 7-5
Irman Ismail (UA) def. Joerg Barthel (NU), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Jose Rivera (NU) def. Goran Vujaklija (WSU), 6-4, 6-7, 6-3
Anthony Perkins (DU) def. Jose Rivera (NU), 6-3, 7-5
Alex Nomicos (SIU) def. Joel Reckewey (NU), 7-6, 3-6, 6-3
Reckewey bye (Consolation bracket round of 64)
No. 2 Adrians Zguns (UA) def. Jeff Nabity (NU), 6-1, 6-3
Alexei Poutchinets (UALR) def. Jeff Nabity (NU), 6-2, 6-2