Huskers Set To Play in HEB Tournament

Lincoln, Neb. - The No. 50 Nebraska men’s tennis team will travel to Corpus Christi, Texas, March 2-4, to participate in the HEB Collegiate Team Championships, a double-elimination tournament hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

The Huskers are scheduled to open competition against Texas-San Antonio, Thursday, March 2, at 9 a.m. The winner will move on to play Middle Tennessee State at 2 p.m.

Texas Tech won the 2005 HEB Tournament. The Huskers were knocked out last year by Western Michigan, after beating Texas-Arlington in the first round and losing to TAMUCC in the second round.

Huskers Enjoy Successful Weekend in Arkansas
The Huskers enjoyed a successful weekend in Little Rock, Ark., defeating Belmont, 5-2, on Feb. 25, and slipping past Arkansas-Little Rock, 4-3, Feb. 26, improving the Huskers to 7-2 on the season.

"It was good to come away with two wins this weekend," Coach Kerry McDermott said after Sunday’s match. "Our guys have done really well this season in close matches and they are finding ways to win and showing lots of confidence. I’m really proud of them for never giving up, but we have to keep improving."

Nebraska Jumps In ITA Rankings
The Huskers made another jump in the national rankings, moving from No. 59 to 50 in the latest ranking released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Feb. 28. Last week the Huskers moved from No. 62 to 59 after being ranked at No. 75 at the beginning of the season.

Tate Remains Undefeated
Mark Tate, a native of The Woodlands, Texas, is making a big contribution to the Husker lineup, as he is undefeated through seven singles matches this spring. Most recently, Tate beat German Perez of Arkansas-Little Rock, 7-5, 6-0. He did not play in the Huskers’ matchup against Belmont.

Tate 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.

Nebraska Improves Doubles Play
Despite getting off to a slow start in the doubles column, the Huskers have found a winning combination recently, earning the past four doubles points. Juniors James Clow and Arturo Navarro have won all four while senior Joerg Barthel and junior Adrian Szatmary have recorded three wins in the past four months. Senior Jerry Posch and sophomore Mark Tate have won two of the past four.

Newcomers Making Big Contributions to Husker Lineup
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. This spring Melo is 5-3 in singles play. In 2005, Melo was ranked third in Brazil in the under-18 division and participated in the National Championship tournament.

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, and competed in his first match of the spring against Belmont on Feb. 25, where he lost to Javier Rodriguez, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.

Navarro, a junior, has provided the Huskers with depth at doubles, compiling a perfect 4-0 doubles record with fellow junior James Clow. Navarro transfered to Nebraska from Tennessee-Chattanooga, where he played in the No. 1 spot in singles and doubles, producing a 14-10 singles record in 2005. The Naucal, Mexico, native also earned second-team All-Southern Conference honors last season.

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 the work ethic exemplified through seniors Jerry Posch and Joerg Barthel.

So far this spring Posch has produced a 4-4 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.

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 4-5 this spring after sitting out the fall campaign.

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."

Clow Providing Consistency for Huskers
As one of the toughest and hardest-working players on the Nebraska roster, James Clow has seen his role increase dramatically over the past two seasons.

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. Despite losing his first two matches, Clow had a six-match winning streak until Ivan Milivojevic of Arkansas-Little Rock stopped it with a 7-6, 6-4, win at the No. 3 spot on Feb. 26, giving Clow a 6-3 record through the spring. Clow and fellow junior Arturo Navarro are undefeated in doubles with four wins this spring.

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.

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."

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. 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. 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 grade-point average 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.

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.

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.