Joerg Barthel Season 2004-05

Outlook (2005-06)
As a player who thrives under pressure, Joerg Barthel (pronounced Yurg BAR-thel) 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.

Coach Kerry 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."

As a Junior (2004-05)
Although Barthel struggled to overcome injury through the middle part of the spring 2005 season, he still proved to be one of Nebraska's toughest competitors. Barthel spent time at the No. 2 slot where he recorded a 2-2 record. He also slid to No. 4 and 5 where he finished with an 8-12 overall record.

In Nebraska's upset over No. 16 Rice, Barthel pulled out a stunning win over Rice in the No. 3 spot, defeating Filip Zivojinovic 7-6, 6-2.

Through the non-conference season, Barthel recorded a three-set win in the No. 3 spot against Nenad Curcic from Southwest Missouri State to help NU down the Bears, 5-2. During league play, Barthel captured a win against Colorado at No. 5 and Texas A&M in the No. 6 spot.

All through the season, Barthel finished matches strong, going 4-2 when reaching a third set. Three of Barthel’s last five matches in the regular season were three-set thrillers against conference foes. Barthel went 2-1 in those contests.

As a Sophomore (2003-04)
Barthel tied for the team lead with nine singles wins and led the Huskers with 10 doubles wins. He was one of just two Huskers to play at the No. 1 position, where he earned a 3-1 record, the only winning mark at the top spot. His five wins at the No. 2 slot were a team-best and tied for the third-most at any singles position.

Barthel started the season by dropping six of his first eight matches before coming on strong at the end of the season with seven wins in his final 13 matches. In the fall, Barthel went 2-7 in singles while fighting through nagging injuries. He reached the quarterfinals of the Region V Championships in doubles play, and finished with a 3-5 mark.

As a Freshman (2002-03)
Barthel enrolled at Nebraska at the end of the first semester and quickly earned a spot in the starting rotation. Barthel finished his rookie season with an 8-12 singles mark. He won six of seven matches during one stretch, after starting the season 0-4.

Barthel had the third-highest singles win total on the team while playing the majority of his matches at the No. 3 position, where he went 4-6 on the year. He also led the Huskers with three victories at the No. 2 slot.

Barthel earned a 7-4 record in doubles, including five straight wins to open the season. Barthel was 5-1 at the No. 2 spot with Florian Priessler, while Barthel and Jose Rivera earned a 5-7 record, giving Barthel a 12-11 doubles mark for the year.

High School
Barthel graduated from Phillip-Reis-Schule in Friedrichsdorf, Germany, in 2001. He was a three-time state champion in tennis during high school, including a fourth-place finish in all of Germany his final year. His team was also the state champion in 2001, and Barthel earned a national ranking as high as No. 239.

Personal
Joerg is the son of Helge and Wilfried Barthel. He was born Dec. 27, 1980, in Frankfurt, Germany, and has one sister, Christina. Joerg is a marketing major at Nebraska.