IU to Face Murray State (1-15-03)

News Update

January 15, 2003

Dual Match Season Opens

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This Week
The Indiana men's tennis team kicks off its spring dual match season this week when it hosts Murray State on the IU Varsity Courts.
Doubles action is set to start at 10 a.m., with singles play beginning immediately after.

Libal's Time
Playing in its first team competition of the season, Indiana will start a freshman at the number one singles position in Viktor Libal.
Libal won a pair of matches at the Big Ten Singles Championships during the Fall, defeating Penn State's Roddy Cantey in three sets in his first match, then coming back to claim a straight-set win over Ohio State's Joel Carney in the consolation bracket. Libal's run came to an end when he was forced to retire his next match due to injury.

Jak-Steady
Perhaps Indiana's most consistent performer is sophomore Jakub Praibis.
Praibis will likely play in the number two singles position after compiling a 15-5 record in his first year at the collegiate level last year.
Praibis won his first two matches at the Fall Big Ten Singles Championships before being eliminated by eventual champion Vincent Ng of Ohio State.

The X-Factor
Senior Petr Novotny will get the nod at the number three singles position, and is competing for the first time as a Hoosier.
A native of Prahan in the Czech Republic, Novotny actually went head-to-head with current teammate Jakub Praibis in a Czech tournament and claimed a victory over Praibis.

Held In High Regard
Senior and Indianapolis native Zach Held figures to start the season in the number four singles slot.
Held, the third of three brothers to compete at Indiana, is clearly the most experienced of anyone on the Indiana roster.
The North Central HS graduate's 84 career singles matches are more than double the total of all his teammates.

Ramblin' Recht
Playing in the number five singles spot is sophomore Ryan Recht.
The most pleasant surprise of the Fall season, Recht advanced to the round of 16 at the Big Ten Singles Championships.
Included in his run was a victory over Northwestern's Tommy Hanus, last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the ITA's Midwest Region Rookie-of-the-Year.

J.V. In Name Only
His initials may be J.V., but Jullien Vulliez's game has the potential to be excellent. The sophomore from Ozoir La Ferriere France went 1-3 last year, but is coming off a Fall season in which three of his four wins came in straight sets.
Vulliez opened the Fall with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Michigan's Vinneth Gossain, but came back to win his last three matches in straight sets, a streak that he takes with him entering the Spring Dual Match season.

Doubling Up
The experienced tandem of Zach Held and Ryan Recht figure to open the Spring in the number one doubles position.
Held and Recht teamed up for part of last season, with the duo claiming a big upset win over a Notre Dame team of Javier Traborga and Casey Smith that was ranked fifth in the nation at the time.

Overseas Combination
Perhaps the most intriguing of Indiana's doubles teams is that of Petr Novotny and Viktor Libal, which is likely to start the season competing in the number two position.
Novotny is a senior from the Czech Republic, while Libal is a freshman from Austria.

The Sleeper Pick
Freshman and Indianapolis native John Stone will team with Jakub Praibis in the number three doubles slot.
Stone, who could crack into the singles rotation before long, is teaming with a player in Praibis that also enjoyed success as a freshman.

What's Next
Following Saturday's match, the Hoosiers will be back in action on Friday, January 24, when they face Notre Dame in South Bend. Doubles action starts at 4 p.m.

Indiana University Athletics

Dual Match Season Opens

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Players Mentioned

Zach Held

Zach Held

Zach Held

Viktor Libal

Petr Novotny

Jakub Praibis

Jakub Praibis

Jakub Praibis

Ryan Recht

Ryan Recht

Ryan Recht

Ryan Recht

John Stone

John Stone

John Stone

John Stone

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