Huskers Open Fall Season at Denver

Lincoln - The Nebraska men’s tennis team will open its season on Friday with the majority of the team playing at the Denver Fall Invitational in Denver, Colo. The Baylor Intercollegiate in Waco, Texas has been canceled due to Hurricane Rita.

Senior Joerg Barthel will participate at the Denver Fall Invitational with juniors James Clow and Sean Coetzee, and true freshman Vincent Pietro, playing matches in the singles flight A. Singles flight B will feature sophomore Karl Jones and true freshman Ayhan Oray.

In open doubles, the Huskers have formed three teams for competition. Barthel and Clow will make up one, Coetzee and Oray will make up another while Jones and Pietro will form the third doubles team.

Singles play for the Denver Fall Invitational is double elimination and the doubles play will be single elimination.

The Denver Fall Invitational will be held at the Benjamin F. Stapelton Jr. Tennis Pavillion and Cherry Hills Country Club. The tournament will begin at 9 a.m.

Huskers Finish 2005 Season Ranked
After spending 13 weeks in the ITA poll, the Huskers closed the season ranked No. 75 and are hoping to regain a spot in the upcoming 2006 poll.

Thirteen consecutive weeks in the ITA’s top-75 poll is the longest NU has been ranked since spending eight weeks ranked in the 2002 season.

All eight Big 12 Conference teams were ranked by the ITA with the highest ranking belonging to Baylor, who finished the season as the NCAA Championship runner-up and Big 12 champion.

Nebraska Welcomes Two New Players
Vincent Pietro and Ayhan Oray, both natives of Lakewood, Colo., have been added to the Huskers’ roster for the 2005-06 season.

Oray comes to NU after earning all-state honors three years and all-conference all four years at Green Mountain High School.

Pietro earned all-state honors twice, as well as all-conference honors all four years at Green Mountain High School.

Posch Named Team Captain
This week, senior Jerry Posch was named team captain for his excellent leadership abilities and commitment to the team.  Last spring, Posch played at the No. 1 singles slot in 23 of 24 dual matches, recording a 9-14 record at the position, while holding a 10-16 mark overall. Posch was one of three Huskers with double-figure wins last spring and Head Coach Kerry McDermott expects similar, if not better, performances for the 2006 season.

McDermott said the Perchtoldsdorf, Austria, native plays mentally tough and is a leader-by-example to an improving Husker team.

"He’s such a great leader," McDermott said. "It’s almost like having another assistant coach because he is trying every day to help his teammates improve."

Nebraska Continues Excellence in the Classroom
Six members of the 2005 Nebraska men’s tennis team were among the 274 Husker student-athletes honored as part of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Spring Honor Roll after recording 2005 spring semester grade-point averages of 3.0 or better.

Jose Rivera and Joel Reckewey led the Husker netters in the classroom with Rivera earning his seventh honor from the Big 12 office while Reckewey was named to the squad for the third time.

Sean Coetzee earned the honor for the third straight semester along with Gerhard Posch. Marcus Karner and Adrian Szatmary each earned their second consecutive selection to the honor roll as a Husker.

Clow Returns Looking to Repeat Success of 2005 Season
After a successful 2005 season, junior James Clow is the only returning letterwinner who produced a winning record through the 2005 season. In the No. 2 spot in NU’s lineup, Clow was 6-2, and in the No. 3 slot he was 5-6, finishing the season with a 13-12 overall record.

Head Coach Kerry McDermott said he feels Clow is the most improved Husker on the squad, as he gives 100 percent every day.

"He is great example of a competitor who plays with confidence," McDermott said. "He’s a great inspiration to the team with his spirit and emotion."

Clow begins the 2005 fall season at the Denver Fall Invitational in singles flight A and will join fellow teammate, senior Joerg Barthel, for doubles play.