Husker Men's Tennis Team Opens 2004 Campaign This Weekend

Lincoln, Neb. -- The Nebraska men's tennis team begins the 2004 season this weekend when it travels to Southwest Missouri State on Saturday, Jan. 24. NU will face off against the Bears at 1 p.m. before hitting the road again to take on No. 39 Arkansas at Noon on Sunday, Jan. 25. The match against the Razorbacks will be the first of 10 against opponents ranked in the first ITA poll of the season (Jan. 13), including six in Big 12 Conference play.

Nebraska returns five letterwinners from last year's team that went 10-11 on the season, which marked the 14th time in Coach Kerry McDermott's 22 years at Nebraska the Huskers finished with double-figure wins.

Among the returnees are seniors Ryan Jay and Jeff Nabity, who are each expected to push for playing time in doubles action this season while providing depth in the singles lineup. Joining Jay and Nabity will be juniors Jeff Reckewey and Jose Rivera, along with sophomore Joerg Barthel.

Reckewey has made great improvements each of the past two seasons and is expected to see action in doubles and singles. Rivera had the best fall of any Husker with a 9-6 singles record, including reaching the finals of the Louisville Fall Invite 'B' Flight main draw. Barthel is one of the Huskers' top returnees after posting eight victories as a freshman last year. Barthel was limited by injuries in the fall but, when healthy, will fight for playing time at the top of the singles lineup.

The Huskers also add the services of five newcomers in 2004. Freshman Justin Junck played with the Huskers in the fall and gained valuable experience against collegiate-level competition. NU had four additions at the start of the spring semester, including sophomores Gerhard Posch and Sebastian Strauch, along with freshmen James Clow and Sean Coetzee.

With the returning experience and added depth to the lineup, McDermott is optimistic about his team's chances this season against some of the nation's top competition.

"We will face a good non-conference schedule, and our conference continues to get tougher as everyone is improved," McDermott said. "To do well against that competition, we will try to build the player's confidence so they understand where everyone fits in. We have some depth, so with hard work and unity, we can reach our goals."

Nebraska follows this weekend's matches with matches at No. 75 Wichita State on Feb. 7 and at No. 66 Western Michigan on Feb. 15 before starting the home slate on Saturday, Feb. 21, against league foe and No. 9-ranked Texas A&M.