Huskers Head to Arkansas to Take on Bradley, UALR

The No. 62 Nebraska men’s tennis team hopes to build off the momentum it gained after winning its home opener against Drake and Air Force at the new Nebarska Tennis Center, as it heads to Little Rock, Ark., to take on Bradley, Feb. 25, and Arkansas-Little Rock, Feb. 26, at the Little Rock Raquet Club.

The Huskers (5-2) defeated UALR last season, 5-2, but the Trojans have had a solid start to the season with a 9-2 record, losing to Drake and Southern Methodist. Bradley is 2-5 this season and coming off a win over Valparaiso.

Huskers Win First Home Matches Against Drake, Air Force
The No. 62 Nebraska men’s tennis team claimed its first victories at the new Nebraska Tennis Center, Feb. 17 and 19, defeating Drake, 4-3, and Air Force Academy, 6-1.

"I thought we did a really good job this weekend, " Coach Kerry McDermott said following the final match. "We knew we could win and the guys really took care of business and got it done."

Nebraska Upsets No. 22 Florida State
The Nebraska men’s tennis team upset then-No. 22 Florida State, 4-3, Feb. 4, in Tallahasee, Fla., at the Scott Spiecher Tennis Center in a quad tournament hosted by the Seminoles.

The win marked the first time the Huskers upset a team ranked in the top 25 since Nebraska defeated then-No. 16 Rice on Jan. 22, 2005.

"This was a huge win for our program," Coach Kerry McDermott said of the victory. "We really needed this win right now. It felt really good and was a total team effort. We knew we were going to have a good team this year, but you have to prove it with results. This will give us a lot of confidence and shows that we can find ways to win."

Three Huskers Recognized For Academic Achievements
Three members of the Nebraska men’s tennis team were recognized for their outstanding academic achievements by being named to the fall 2005 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Senior Jerry Posch and junior James Clow were recognized along with former Husker Joel Reckeway on the list. This is Posch’s third time on the list, Clow’s second and Reckewey’s fourth.

The Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes who earned a 3.0 GPA or higher during the previous semester. Overall, Nebraska had 235 student-athletes named to the fall honor roll, including 35 who produced perfect 4.0 grade-point averages during the fall semester.

Nebraska Jumps In ITA Rankings
The Nebraska men’s tennis team jumped from No. 75 to 62 in the latest ranking released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Feb. 7.

The Huskers closed the 2004-05 season ranked No. 75, after placing as high as No. 55 after defeating then-No. 16 Rice, 4-3, on Jan. 24, 2005.

McDermott Welcomes Four Newcomers to the 2005-06 Roster
Coach Kerry McDermott announced four talented newcomers joined the 2005-06 roster, hoping to fill spots left by departed seniors Joel Reckewey and Jose Rivera. Renato Melo, Hendrik Stahmer, Mark Tate and Arturo Navarro came to Nebraska from diverse backgrounds and experience.

Melo came to Nebraska as a freshman from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In 2005, Melo was ranked third in Brazil in the under-18 division and participated in the National Championship tournament. So far this spring, Melo has produced a 4-2 record, with wins over Chris Lueth of Drake, 6-1, 6-1, and Florida State’s Jason Hood, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.

Tate, a native of The Woodlands, Texas, came to Nebraska as a sophomore after spending a year competing for Northern Illinois, where he produced an overall 16-13 record for the Huskies. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound right-hander was a Midwest Open finalist as well as a St. Louis National Open finalist. While attending Oak Ridge High School, Tate was a state champion in 2004. Tate has won all six of his matches this spring, consistently playing at the No. 5 spot.

Coming in as a freshman, Stahmer was the 2002 Nebraska Class B Singles champion while attending Beatrice High School as an exchange student in Beatrice, Neb. He is orignially from Hamburg, Germany,

Navarro, a junior, transfered to Nebraska from Tennessee- Chattanooga, where he played in the No. 1 spot in singles and doubles, compiling a 14-10 singles record in 2005. The Naucal, Mexico, native also earned second-team All-Southern Conference honors last season.

Huskers Complete Successful Fall Campaign
The Nebraska men’s tennis team competed in four tournaments through fall 2005, with junior James Clow producing the best record at 7-5. Junior Adrian Szatmary recorded a solid 4-4 record.

At the Denver Fall Invitational, Sept. 25, in Denver, Colo., Clow made it to the Singles Flight A consolation finals, but lost to Minnesota’s DJ Gaetz, 7-6 (8), 7-5, after losing in the first round of the Singles Flight A.

Clow was the only Husker to move past two rounds in the double-elimination tournament. Sophomore Karl Jones made it to the Singles Flight B consolation finals, but was defeated, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, by Ryan Scott.

Nebraska men’s tennis senior Jerry Posch and Clow competed at the 2005 Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Tennis Championships held at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Okla., Oct. 3 and 4.

Posch was defeated by Concado Henrique of Old Dominion 6-4, 7-5, 6-1, in the first round of qualifying singles. Posch and Clow were defeated in doubles action by Will Gray and Fredrico Soriano, 8-4.

The tournament featured the nation’s top collegiate tennis players including 128 singles players and 64 doubles teams split into a main draw and a qualifying draw.

At the Georgia Tech Fall Invitational held Oct. 7-9, at the Bill Moore Tennis Center in Atlanta, Ga., Clow was defeated by Andy Juc of Furman, 6-3, 6-0, in the second round of the Singles Flight A consolation bracket.

The Huskers concluded fall play at the Wilson/ITA Men’s Central Region Championships at the University of Tulsa, Oct. 20-24. Szatmary and Clow were both eliminated from the tournament in the quarterfinal round of the main draw singles at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. Posch was defeated in the backdraw singles in the semifinal round.

Seniors Leading Huskers through 2005-06 Campaign
As the Nebraska men’s tennis team returned to the court for the 2005-06 season, it hoped to become more competitve in the Big 12 Conference by relying on the team’s maturity and work ethic exemplified through seniors Jerry Posch and Joerg Barthel.

So far this spring Posch has produced a 2-4 record, including an upset of No. 49 Sam Chang of Florida State to help the Huskers knock off then-No. 22 Florida State. Through the fall, Posch qualified for the ITA All-American tournament and held a 3-5 record overall.

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. McDermott said Posch, who was named team captain this season, could achieve even better results as a senior.

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

McDermott also said the senior has taken great strides through the summer to make himself even better.

As a player who thrives under pressure, Barthel will continue to make a strong impact with his experience. Although Barthel has spent much of his career riddled with injuries, he has still made a strong contribution for the Huskers, including a huge win at the No. 3 spot in NU’s win over No. 16 Rice last season.

Barthel is 2-5 this season, playing in the No. 4 spot for the Huskers.

McDermott said it is Barthel’s diligence that emphasizes his leadership abilities.

"Joerg is such a professional on the court in both practice and during matches," McDermott said. "His teammates can see that and he holds everyone to the same level of professionalism he shows."

Juniors Looking to Repeat Success of 2005 Season
Juniors James Clow and Adrian Szatmary return to the Huskers as solid contributors demonstrated through their leadership and talent through the 2005 spring and fall seasons.

As one of the toughest and hardest-working players on the Nebraska roster, Clow has seen his role increase dramatically over the past two seasons. Clow is the only returning player who produced a winning record through the 2005 spring season, and McDermott said Clow is the most improved player returning for the 2005-06 season. Clow was also the only Husker to earn a winning record through the fall 2005 campaign. This spring he helped Nebraska upset then-No. 22 Florida State with a win over Chirs Westerhof in the No. 3 spot for the Huskers.

Through the 2006 spring season, the junior tandem helped the Huskers pick up a win in doubles against Drake at the ITA Region V National Indoor Qualifying Tournament, defeating Jonathan Tishler and Maor Zirkin, 8-6.

McDermott said Clow is a great example of a competitor who plays with confidence.

"James is a gritty player who will find a way to win," McDermott said. "He gives 100 percent all the time, every day."

Szatmary will continue to make a strong impact on Nebraska’s roster, coming off a successful 2004-05 season. Szatmary has played in the top two spots in NU’s lineup this spring, while continuing his success in doubles play. Through the fall, Szatmary produced a 4-4 overall record and at the ITA Men’s Central Region Championships, Szatmary made it to the quarterfinals seeded 13th.

Coach McDermott said Szatmary played a large part in keeping the Huskers in the ITA poll last season and he expects Szatmary to continue to perform well.