Huskers Back on Winning Track

The Nebraska men’s tennis team used strong singles play to upend both Southwest Missouri State and Wichita State by 5-2 scores Saturday at the Woods Tennis Center. The wins moved the 69th-ranked Huskers to 4-3 overall on the season.

 

NU took five of six singles matches from SMS on Saturday morning to end a two-match skid dating back to last week’s loss to Air Force.

 

Jerry Posch got the Huskers rolling early with a 6-3, 6-2 win in the number-one singles match vs. Jiri Spousta. James Clow followed Posch with another straight-set victory, 6-3, 6-3. Clow’s effort earned him his fourth-straight dual match win.

 

Joerg Barthel added a hard-fought, three-set victory, 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, in number-three singles play, while the Huskers’ number-four singles player, Adrian Szatmary, breezed by the Bears’ John Kellert, 6-0, 7-6. Jose Rivera gave NU a big boost with another two-set win in number-five singles, 7-5, 6-4.

 

Clow and Marcus Karner earned Nebraska’s lone doubles victory of the dual, 8-6, over SMS’ Kellert and Marcos Queiroz.

 

The Huskers earned their second victory in less than twelve hours with a 5-2 triumph over Wichita State in the nightcap. NU more than made up for some shaky doubles play by taking five of six singles matches from the Shockers.

 

Posch (7-5, 3-6, 7-5) and Clow (2-6, 6-2, 6-4) again recorded wins in their respective roles in No. 1 and No. 2 singles, while Szatmary (6-2, 6-4), Rivera (6-3, 7-6) and Reckeway (6-1, 6-3) each gained straight-set victories. NU’s lone singles loss to the Shockers was by Barthel, who was forced to retire due to injury.

 

The Huskers dropped two of three doubles matches to Wichita State, with Posch and Reckeway earning the lone victory, 8-6, at the No. 1 slot.

 

“We played very good,” Head Coach Kerry McDermott said. “I’m proud of the way we bounced back after the doubles matches. (The doubles losses) didn’t affect our guys. They really believed in themselves.”

 

The Huskers return to the court next Friday, Feb. 18, when they travel to Des Moines, Iowa, for a dual match with DePaul.

 

NU 5, SMS 2

 

Singles

1: Posch (NU) def. Spousta (SMS) 6-3, 6-2

2: Clow (NU) def. Hanek (SMS) 6-3, 6-3

3: Barthel (NU) def. Curcic (SMS) 6-7, 6-2, 7-6

4: Szatmary (NU) def. Kellert (SMS) 6-0, 7-6

5: Rivera (NU) def. Queiroz (SMS) 7-5, 6-4

6: Stern (SMS) def. Reckeway (NU) 5-7, 6-2, 3-6

 

Doubles

1: Spousta/Hanek (SMS) def. Posch/Reckeway (NU) 8-6

2: Curcic/Stone (SMS) def. Rivera/Barthel (NU) 8-6

3: Karner/Clow (NU) def. Kellert/Queiroz (SMS) 8-6

 

NU 5, WSU 2

 

Singles

1: Posch (NU) def. Contente (WSU) 7-5, 3-6, 7-5

2: Clow (NU) def. Vujaklija (WSU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4

3: Loredo (WSU) def. Barthel (NU) 6-4, 1-6, 0-2 ret.

4: Szatmary (NU) def. Gubic (WSU) 6-2, 6-4

5: Rivera (NU) def. Eisikovits (WSU) 6-3, 7-6

6: Reckeway (NU) def. Santos (WSU) 6-1, 6-3

 

Doubles

1: Posch/Reckeway (NU) def. Contente/Eisikovits (WSU) 8-6

2: Gubic/Vujaklija (WSU) def. Rivera/Barthel (NU) 8-1

3: Loredo/Santos (WSU) def. Clow/Karner (NU) 8-6