Huskers Ousted at Regional Championships

Tulsa, Okla. - The Nebraska men's tennis team headed home on Friday after a tough day at the Wilson/ITA Central Region Championships in Tulsa, Okla. Two Huskers were defeated in the third round of Open Singles, while the Huskers' remaining doubles team was defeated in round two of Open Doubles.

Sophomore David Bendheim and junior Hendrik Stahmer both lost their third-round matches in Open Singles, after both advanced through two rounds on Thursday. Bendheim lost to Drake's Dalibor Pavic in a three-set battle, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

"David played really well," head coach Kerry McDermott said. "In the first set, he really got overpowered, but came back aggressive in the second set and played really well. In the third set, he got broke, and the other guy served really well and really big, which gave David a lot of trouble."

Stahmer faced a familiar opponent in Blake Strode of Arkansas in the third round. Stahmer faced off against Strode last year, and lost in a 2 1/2 hour marathon that was back-and-forth the entire way. Friday, Stahmer struggled to find his game against Strode, who was clearly on his, losing 6-1, 6-0.

"Strode was on fire today," said McDermott. "Everything he hit in the match was gold. You've got to give it to Hendrik, he played hard. But with the other guy playing so well, anything Hendrik did to adjust didn't work. It was a tough break for him."

In Open Doubles, the duo of freshman Taylor Boney and senior Mark Tate ran into an obstacle in No. 1-seed Colin Mascall and Strode of Arkansas. The Husker pair played well, but ultimately fell short, losing 8-3.

In Consolation Singles, Tate lost his second-round match to Dennis Troyke of Oral Roberts. 6-4, 6-4. Sophomore Francois Van Impe defeated Arkansas' Mascall, 6-4, 6-4, to move on to the Consolation quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Troyke, 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals. Unfortunately, the Huskers' travel plans forced Van Impe to withdraw from the semifinal match, which was set to be played on Saturday.

"It was a tough day for the Huskers," said McDermott. "But our guys are starting to see if they work hard and practice hard that good things are going to happen."

Nebraska returns to action next weekend at the University of Texas Fall Invite, which takes place Nov. 2-4.

Results
Open Singles - Third Round
Dalibor Pavic (Drake) def. David Bendheim (NU), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
Blake Strode (Arkansas) def. Hendrik Stahmer (NU), 6-1, 6-0

Open Doubles - Second Round
No. 1 Mascall/Strode (Arkansas) def. Boney/Tate (NU), 8-3

Consolation Singles - Second Round
Dennis Troyke (Oral Roberts) def. Mark Tate (NU), 6-4, 6-4
Francois Van Impe (NU) def. Colin Mascall (Arkansas), 6-4, 6-4

Consolation Singles - Quarterfinals
Francois Van Impe (NU) def. Dennis Troyke (Oral Roberts), 6-2, 6-4.

Tournament Statistics
Singles
David Bendheim: 2-1
Taylor Boney: 0-2
Jamie Holmes: 0-2
Renato Melo: 1-1
Hendrik Stahmer: 2-1
Mark Tate: 1-2
Francois Van Impe: 3-1
Totals: 9-10

Doubles
Bendheim/Melo: 0-1
Boney/Tate: 1-1
Stahmer/Van Impe: 0-1
Totals: 1-3