Huskers Start Fall Season at Home

The Nebraska men's tennis team looks to get the season started on the right foot as it plays host to the Nebraska Invitational on Sept. 24-26 in Lincoln. Joining the Huskers this weekend will be Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Drake and Denver. The teams will play in a hidden dual format, with schools competing as full teams but only individual results will be recorded (no team scores).

The six teams will rotate singles and doubles each day of the tournament starting Friday at 9 a.m. The Huskers are scheduled to play at the Cather-Pound Courts (17th and Vine) throughout the weekend. Other teams will also be utilizing the Woods Tennis Center indoor and outdoor courts throughout the weekend. Admission to the invitational is free.

The field at the Nebraska Invitational will be a solid mix of talent, as Drake is coming off a 17-6 run last season, including a 4-3 setback against Nebraska. Minnesota (14-10), led by No. 81 Avery Ticer, finished third in Big 12 and No. 38 nationally last year and will likely be ranked when the ITA preseason team poll is announced. Denver went 14-11 last season and returns No. 44-ranked Nejc Smole, the highest ranked player in this weekend's field. Wisconsin (8-15) and Iowa (3-17) will be looking for improvement over last season.

Szatmary earns preseason ranking
Newcomer Adrian Szatmary has started his Nebraska career in high style, as he was the only Husker to earn a preseason national ranking according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll released Sept. 10. Szatmary was listed at No. 115 in the preseason poll.

A transfer from Baylor, Szatmary is the first Husker to earn a national ranking since Florian Preissler was ranked No. 78 on Feb. 26, 2003. Only four Huskers have finished a season nationally ranked in singles action, most recently Lance Mills, who was ranked No. 99 to end the 2002 campaign.

A native of Budapest, Hungary, Szatmary joined the Huskers after one season with national champion Baylor. Szatmary earned a 4-2 singles record for the Bears, who went 32-2 on their way to the school’s first-ever team national title. Before coming to the United States, Szatmary ranked as high as No. 49 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) rankings. He also won Hungarian singles and doubles championships in Under 16’s and Under 18’s.

Seniors Look to lead the way
Joel Reckewey and Jose Rivera each return for their final seasons with the Big Red looking to get Nebraska back on a winning track. The Huskers' only seniors, Reckewey and Rivera combined for 17 singles victories last season, and Reckewey owns the most career singles wins of any returning Husker (23), while Rivera (18) is second.

Net notes
Adrian Szatmary, a transfer from 2004 national champion Baylor, is one of four newcomers for Nebraska in 2004-05, along with Marcus Karner, Karl Jones and redshirt freshman Sean Coetzee...Joerg Barthel, a junior, ranks third on the team with 17 career singles victories and is first with 22 career doubles wins...Senior Joel Reckewey is the only native Nebraskan on the roster, as the other eight Huskers hail from seven countries...After winning just one of his first seven matches last year, James Clow went on to win seven of his last 13 singles contests to end the 2004 campaign...Nebraska will face Denver (Feb. 5) and Drake (Feb. 19) in the spring on the road...Rivera is a three-time second-team academic All-Big 12 selection, while Reckewey also earned second-team honors in 2004.

Nebraska Invitational Schedule
Friday, Sept. 24
9 a.m.
Cather-Pound -- NU vs. Drake (S)
Woods Indoor -- Denver vs. Wisconsin (S) 
Woods Outdoor -- Minnesota vs. Iowa (S)

11 a.m.
Cather-Pound -- NU vs. Denver (D)
Woods Indoor -- Wisconsin vs. Iowa (D)
Woods Outdoor -- Minnesota vs. Drake (D)

2 p.m.
Cather-Pound -- NU vs. Wisconsin (S)
Woods Indoor -- Drake vs. Minnesota (S)
Woods Outdoor -- Iowa vs. Denver (S)

4:30 p.m.
Cather-Pound -- NU vs. Minnesota (D)
Woods Indoor -- Denver vs. Iowa (D)
Woods Outdoor -- Drake vs. Wisconsin (D)

Saturday, Sept. 25
9 a.m.
Cather-Pound -- Minnesota vs. Denver (S)
Woods Indoor -- NU vs. Drake (D)
Woods Indoor -- Iowa vs. Wisconsin (D)

11 a.m.
Cather-Pound -- NU vs. Iowa (S)
Woods Indoor -- Drake vs. Wisconsin (S)

2 p.m.
Cather-Pound -- NU vs. Denver (S)
Woods Indoor -- Wisconsin vs. Minnesota (S)
Woods Outdoor -- Drake vs. Iowa (S)

4:30 p.m.
Cather-Pound -- NU vs. Wisconsin (D)
Woods Indoor -- Minnesota vs. Iowa (D)
Woods Outdoor -- Drake vs. Denver (D)

Sunday, Sept. 26
9 a.m.
Cather-Pound -- NU vs. Minnesota (S)
Woods Indoor -- Iowa vs. Wisconsin (S)
Woods Outdoor -- Drake vs. Denver (S)

11 a.m.
Cather-Pound -- NU vs. Iowa (D)
Woods Indoor -- Drake vs. Denver (D)
Woods Outdoor -- Minnesota vs. Wisconsin (D)

1 p.m.
Cather-Pound -- Minnesota vs. Denver (D)
Woods Indoor -- NU vs. Wisconsin (D)
Woods Outdoor -- Iowa vs. Drake (D)

(S)-singles
(D)-doubles
Times are CST and subject to change dependent on weather