Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Netters Beat Nebraska in Conference Opener, 6-1
March 20, 2005 | Cowboy Tennis
The Cowboys (10-3 overall, 1-0 Big 12) swept doubles play after falling behind early in all three matches. At the No. 1 position, senior Boris Kuharic and junior Felipe Diaz found themselves down 2-0 to Jerry Posch and Joel Reckeway before coming back to win 8-5.
At No. 2 doubles, senior Mark Van Elden and sophomore Daniel Byrnes trailed 2-1 before winning seven of the next eight games to defeat Jose Rivera and Joerg Barthel, 8-3.
Junior Tomas Bohunicky and sophomore Artie Burmistrau played a back-and-forth match with Adrian Szatmary and James Clow in the No. 3 slot. With the scored tied at seven, OSU broke Nebraska's serve and Burmistrau then served out the match to capture a 9-7 victory.
The Pokes clinched the victory after three singles matches. Kuharic picked up a straight set, 6-3, 6-3 win over Clow at the No. 3 position, improving to 10-1 on the season. Van Elden was close behind with a straight set victory of his own, 6-1, 6-4 over Posch.
Byrnes made his first appearance of the year at the No. 4 position, and responded to his promotion with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Barthel to clinch the match. The Melbourne, Australia native has now won eight matches in a row.
Bohunicky was the fourth Cowboy to win in straight sets, cruising past Szatmary, 6-4, 6-1 at the No. 2 position.
The Huskers picked up their only team point at No. 6 singles, where Diaz retired after winning the first set, 7-6, to rest his injured ankle.
At No. 5 singles, Burmistrau and Rivera split the first two sets before the coaches decided to play a 10-point tiebreak to determine the winner. Burmistrau pulled out to a 6-1 lead before Rivera closed the gap to 7-6. It would not be enough for Nebraska, however, as Burmistrau held on for a 10-7 victory.
The Cowboys travel to Waco, Texas on Saturday for a 2 p.m. showdown against No. 1 Baylor.
Doubles
No. 1 - Kuharic/Diaz (OSU) def. Posch/Reckeway (NU); 8-5
No. 2 - Van Elden/Byrnes (OSU) def. Rivera/Barthel (NU); 8-3
No. 3 - Bohunicky/Burmistrau (OSU) def. Szatmary/Clow (NU); 9-7
Order of finish: 1,2,3
Singles
No. 1 - No. 50 Mark Van Elden (OSU) def. Jerry Posch (NU); 6-1, 6-4
No. 2 - Tomas Bohunicky (OSU) def. Adrian Szatmary (NU); 6-4, 6-1
No. 3 - Boris Kuharic (OSU) def. James Clow (NU); 6-3, 6-3
No. 4 - Daniel Byrnes (OSU) def. Joerg Barthel (NU); 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 - Artie Burmistrau (OSU) def. Jose Rivera (NU); 2-6, 6-3 (10-7)
No. 6 - Joel Reckeway (NU) def. Felipe Diaz (OSU); 6-7 (Diaz retired)
Order of finish: 3,1,4,2,6,5
