Huskers Compete in Alabama Hidden Dual

Tuscaloosa, Ala. - In day one of competition for the Husker men's tennis team at the Crimson Tide Fall Championship, it was sophomore Hendrik Stahmer in singles play and the team of senior Adrian Szatmary and junior Mark Tate in doubles action that led NU with undefeated records.

Battling rainy weather Friday morning, play was moved indoors to Alabama's Hank Crisp Indoor Facility where Nebraska began singles competition against Georgia Tech.  With five Huskers competing against the Yellow Jackets Friday morning, Stahmer and senior captain James Clow were the only two to come away with victories.  Stahmer won his first set against Georgia Tech's Scott Blackmon, 6-4, and used that momentum to battle his way through the second set in a close tiebreaker, 7-6(2).  Clow also tallied a win against Georgia Tech, defeating Luke Rassow-Kantor in three sets.  Battling back from an early loss in the first set, 1-6, Clow earned the match win in sets two and three winning them 7-5, 6-1.

Also competing for the Huskers against Georgia Tech in singles was Szatmary, Tate and freshman Francois Van Impe, who were each defeated in two sets.  Szatmary was defeated by Jordan Delass, 6-1, 6-3; Tate was defeated by George Gvelesieni, 6-2, 6-1; and Van Impe was defeated by Austin Roebuck, 6-4, 6-2.

Despite the setbacks, head coach Kerry McDermott was pleased with the performance of his squad.

"It's encouraging to see the improvements this team has made since last facing Georgia Tech two weeks ago," McDermott said.  "We still need to work on winning our first sets to gain early momentum, but again I'm pleased with the progress this team is making as a whole."

Friday afternoon, the seven Huskers went on to compete against Mississippi State in singles action and again came away with two match victories.  Earning another win for the day was Stahmer, defeating Artem Kuznetsov in a tiebreaker match, 7-6, 6-7, 1-0(10-5).  In junior Karl Jones' first match of the day, he defeated Mississippi State's Josh Irey.  This match was also sent into a third set when Jones fell in the first set 6-7, but then fought back to a 6-0 win in the second set and a 1-0(10-5) win in the third tiebreaker set.

"We're a little disappointed that only two out of our seven guys won against Mississippi State, but it's good to see that we are able to compete closely with some of the top teams in the country," McDermott said.  "This tournament presents great competition for us, and with the hidden dual format we're able to play a lot of matches and really see where we are at the conclusion of our fall season."

With the weather finally manageable by Friday evening, competition moved back outside to Alabama's Tennis Stadium where Nebraska competed in two doubles matches against Georgia Tech and two doubles matches against Mississippi State.  The team of Szatmary and Tate led the Huskers, winning both matches.  In their first match, Szatmary and Tate defeated Georgia Tech's team of Jordan Delass and Luke Rassow-Kantor, 8-4.  Earning another victory for the Huskers in the doubles competition, Szatmary and Tate went on to defeat Mississippi State's team of Pjotrs Necajevs and Ryan Farlow, 8-6.

In the hidden dual tournament format, matches count toward a player's individual records and rankings but do not count on the team's overall record.  Play will continue on Saturday at the Alabama Tennis Stadium beginning at 9 a.m. with the Huskers competing against Alabama in doubles action.  Later in the day, the Huskers will again face Alabama, this time in singles competition, and will then go on to compete against Miami in singles play.

Singles
Jordan Delass (GT) def. Adrian Szatmary (NU)  6-1, 6-3
James Clow (NU) def. Luke Rassow-Kantor (GT)  1-6, 7-5, 6-1 
Hendrik Stahmer (NU) def. Scott Blackmon (GT)  6-4, 7-6 (2)
George Gvelesieni (GT) def. Mark Tate (NU)  6-2, 6-1
Austin Roebuck (GT) def. Francois Van Impe (NU)  6-4, 6-2
Ivan Bjelica (MSU) def. Adrian Szatmary (NU) 6-4, 6-0
Philippe Frayssinoux (MSU) def. James Clow (NU) 7-6 (5), 7-5
Hendrik Stahmer (NU) def. Artem Kuznetsov (MSU) 7-6, 6-7, 1-0 (10-5)
Pjotrs Necajevs (MSU) def. Mark Tate (NU) 7-5, 6-4
Eric Lim (MSU) def. Francois Van Impe (NU) 6-3, 6-1
Ryan Farlow (MSU) def. Arturo Navarro (NU) 6-3, 6-0
Karl Jones (NU) def. Josh Irey (MSU) 6-7, 6-0, 1-0 (10-5) 
Thomas Weiss (UAB) def. Sean Coetzee (NU) 6-2, 6-3
Tim Bauer (UAB) def. Sean Coetzee (NU) 6-1, 6-1
Johannes Spangenberg (UAB) def. Karl Jones (NU) 6-3, 6-2

Doubles
Szatmary/Tate (NU) def. Delass/Rassow-Kantor (GT)  8-4
Blackmon/Gvelesieni (GT) def. Navarro/Stahmer (NU)  8-0
Szetmary/Tate (NU) def. Necajevs/Farlow (MSU) 8-6
Lim/Trey (MSU) def. Clow/Van Impe (NU) 8-6