Huskers Shut Out by Fresno State

Fresno, Calif. - In its first road match of the season, the No. 69 Nebraska men's tennis team lost 6-0 to the No. 71 Fresno State Bulldogs in Fresno, Calif. The match was scheduled to be played Friday evening, but rain delayed the match to Saturday afternoon. The loss is Nebraska's second straight and it drops to 4-4, while Fresno State improved to 7-2 with its fifth straight victory.

"I'm disappointed with the final outcome," NU Head Coach Kerry McDermott said. "They took it to us from the start." 

Due to the possibility of more rain coming on Saturday afternoon, the teams began with singles play. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Fresno State's Rudolf Siwy defeated NU's Calin Paar 6-1, 6-3 at No. 1 singles. NU sophomore Francois Van Impe then fell short against Denny Fafek at No. 4 singles, 6-4, 6-1. Freshman Tobias Schneider saw his first action on the singles court at No. 4 singles, but couldn't get past FSU's Siddarth Alapati, losing 6-2, 6-2.

Fresno State's Tejesvi Veerepalli iced the match for the Bulldogs, giving the team its fourth point with a 6-2, 7-6 (2) victory over Hendrik Stahmer at No. 3 singles. Mirko Zapletal (No. 2) and Martin Nilsson (No. 6) won a pair of three-set victories to close out the scoring for Fresno State. The doubles matches were not played due to the fact that the match was already decided after singles play.

"It's a true learning experience for our team," said McDermott. "We've got to start with intensity and end with intensity, especially to beat good teams." 

The Huskers fall to 0-1 on the road with the loss. They will head to Corpus Christi, Texas, next weekend for the H.E.B. Tournament before returning home for a match against Western Michigan on March 7.

Results
No. 71 Fresno State 6, No. 69 Nebraska 0

Doubles
(was not played)

Singles
No. 1 Rudolf Siwy (FS) def. Calin Paar (NEB), 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 Mirko Zapletal (FS) def. David Bendheim (NEB), 6-7 (6), 6-4, (10-7)
No. 3 Tejesvi Veerepalli (FS) def. Hendrik Stahmer (NEB), 6-2, 7-6 (2)
No. 4 Denny Fafek (FS) def. Francois Van Impe (NEB), 6-4, 6-1
No. 5 Siddarth Alapati (FS) def. Tobias Schneider (NEB), 6-2, 6-2
No. 6 Martin Nilsson (FS) def. Renato Melo (NEB), 6-2, 6-7 (2), (10-8)