Huskers Earn First Victory of Spring

Fresno, Calif. ? The No. 61 Nebraska men’s tennis team earned its first victory of the 2007 spring season on Saturday afternoon against Loyola Marymount in Fresno, Calif.  Taking advantage of the California weather, the Huskers competed outside for the first time in months and trampled past the Lions, 6-1.

 

The Huskers got off to a good start against the Lions when they went 2-1 in doubles, earning them the doubles point.  Head coach Kerry McDermott adamantly stressed the importance of winning the doubles point following last week’s loss to Oklahoma, and Saturday’s doubles scores seemed to reflect this.

 

“Having the momentum going into the singles competition is crucial,” McDermott said.  “I am very proud of how we played in doubles today.  We got up on our opponents early and then held them all the way through the matches.”

 

Winning the No. 2 doubles was the team of senior Adrian Szatmary and sophomore Renato Melo.  The Husker duo defeated LMU’s team of Matt Phillips and Jacek Twarowski, 8-4, giving Szatmary an unblemished doubles record of 2-0 so far this spring.

 

Earning the Huskers' second victory in doubles was senior James Clow and freshman Francois Van Impe at No. 3 doubles defeating Nikola Petrov and Renzo Maggi, 8-2.  During the 2006 fall season, Clow and Van Impe teamed up eight times compiling a 3-5 record and now start the spring season with a 1-0 record as a team.

 

Ahead of the Lions 1-0 after the doubles competition, the Huskers made a smooth transition into the singles competition sweeping Loyola Marymount in the top five spots.

 

Competing at the No. 1 spot for the Huskers was No. 78 Szatmary who defeated LMU’s Nico Terrien in two sets, 6-3, 6-1, to earn his first singles victory of the spring season.  In No. 2 singles, it was NU sophomore Hendrik Stahmer that came away with the victory.  Stahmer defeated Nikola Petrov, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, to also gain his first victory of the spring.

 

The top-five spot sweep continued as Clow defeated Jacek Twarowski, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, at the No. 3 spot, freshman David Bendheim defeated Reyniere Roxas, 6-3, 7-5, at No. 4, and Melo defeated Sam Tadevosian in two sets, 6-4, 6-4.

 

“It’s good to get an early win under our belt,” McDermott said.  “We’re happy with our performance today and we’re looking forward to competing against FresnoState tomorrow.”

 

The No. 61 Huskers face the No. 45 Bulldogs of Fresno State on Sunday, Jan. 28, at noon (10 a.m. PT) in Fresno, Calif.

 

Doubles  (NU 1, LMU 0)

Terrien/Twarowski (LMU) def. Bendheim/Tate (NU), 8-4

Melo/Szatmary (NU) def. Phillips/Tadevosian (LMU), 8-4

Clow/Van Impe (NU) def. Petrov/Maggi (LMU), 8-2

 

Singles  (NU 5, LMU 1)

No. 78 Adrian Szatmary (NU) def. Nico Terrien (LMU), 6-3, 6-1

Hendrik Stahmer (NU) def. Nikola Petrov (LMU), 6-2, 2-6, 6-3

James Clow (NU) def. Jacek Twarowski (LMU), 5-7, 6-3, 6-1

David Bendheim (NU) def. Reyniere Roxas (LMU), 6-3, 7-5

Renato Melo (NU) def. Sam Tadevosian (LMU), 6-4, 6-4

Renzo Maggi (LMU) def. Francois Van Impe (NU), 7-6, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)

 

Final Score 

Nebraska 6, Loyola Marymount 1