Huskers End Fall Slate at Milwaukee Classic

The Nebraska men's tennis team looks to end the fall season on a strong note this week as it begins play at the 29th annual Milwaukee Tennis Classic in Milwaukee, Wis. One of the nation's oldest collegiate events, the Milwaukee Tennis Classic will have more than 250 players in several collegiate and open divisions.

The Huskers will take a full contingent on the road for the first time this season when they start play on Wednesday, Nov. 3. Among the top Huskers looking to advance deep into the tournament field will be Jerry Posch, who leads Nebraska with an 8-2 singles mark this fall, and Adrian Szatmary, who ranks second behind Posch with a 6-3 mark. Overall, five Huskers enter the tournament field with a winning record this fall, including Posch, Szatmary, Joel Reckewey (5-3), Jose Rivera (5-3) and James Clow (5-4).

"This is a good tournament and we think it will be a good field to play against," said NU Coach Kerry McDermott. "We are looking for at least a couple of our players to advance deep into the field. This is a tournament where we could have a couple guys advance to the quarterfinals or farther. As a team, we hope to get some experience and keep making strides like we have all fall."

Though the Huskers have not played in the tournament for a number of years, Nebraska has had some success in the Milwaukee Tennis Classic. Former Husker Steven Jung won the singles title in 1988, when the tournament was still played during Christmas break. Jung went on to earn a runner-up finish at the 1989 NCAA Championships.

Huskers Show Improvements During Fall Play
With a good mix of returnees and newcomers, Coach Kerry McDermott had hopes of a solid performance this fall in preparation for the 2005 campaign. Those expectations have been easily met as the Huskers have posted a number of outstanding matches over the past two months.

Leading the charge this year has been junior Jerry Posch. Returning to play at the No. 1 slot this fall, Posch owns the team's best record at 8-2, including reaching the round of 16 of the singles main draw at the ITA Region V Championships last month.

Along with Posch, newcomer Adrian Szatmary finished one match from the quarterfinals at the region tournament, and has produced a 6-3 singles mark. A first-year transfer from Baylor, Szatmary is one of five Huskers with at least five wins this fall.

Nebraska's senior duo of Joel Reckewey and Jose Rivera have each posted a 5-3 singles mark, with Reckewey coming on strong in his last meet. The Grand Island native dropped an early match at the ITA Region V Championships, but bounced back to post three straight wins to reach the quarterfinals of the consolation draw before being knocked out of the tournament.

Szatmary Earns Preseason Ranking
Newcomer Adrian Szatmary 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 last year, as BU went 32-2 on its 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 titles in Under 16’s and Under 18’s.

Seniors Look to Lead the Way
Joel Reckewey and Jose Rivera each return for their final season 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
The Huskers are undefeated in fall dual action at the No. 1 and No. 5 slots with 5-0 records...NU has recorded a winning record at five singles slots in dual meets, with the only non-winning position being the No. 3 slot (2-3)...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 different 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...Clow and Karner have the team's best doubles record this fall with a 3-0 mark...Posch and Rivera have played four dual meets at the No. 1 doubles position and earned a 3-1 record to tie for first in doubles victories this fall...Rivera is a three-time second-team academic All-Big 12 selection, while Reckewey also earned second-team honors in 2004.