Huskers Advance to the Second Round of Big 12s

College Station, Texas--The Nebraska women's tennis team, the No. 8 seed, advanced in the first round of the Big 12 Tennis Championships with a 5-2 victory over No. 9-seeded Kansas State at the Texas A&M Varsity Tennis Courts on Thursday.

In singles, junior Sandra Noetzel had her 15-match win streak at the No. 1 singles position snapped, losing to Anna Pampoulova, 6-3, 6-2. At No. 2, freshman Katarina Balan came away with a victory over Alena Jecminkova, 7-5, 7-5. At No. 3, sophomore Ndali Ijomah breezed through her match with Kathy Chuda, winning 6-3, 6-3. At the No. 4 and 5 positions, both junior Gina Pelazini and freshman Amy Frisch came back after dropping their first sets, to win their matches in three sets. Pelazini defeated Eva Novatna, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, and Frisch beat Natalia Farmer, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Heading into doubles, NU had a 4-2 advantage, needing just one of the three doubles point. That point came from the No. 1 duo of Noetzel and Pelazini, who dominated their match with Pampoulova and Vesselina Jeliaskova, winning 8-1.

"I was really proud of the effort our kids gave today," Nebraska Coach Scott Jacobson said. "They beat us convincingly earlier this season (KSU 6, NU 3), and to win 5-2 is a tribute to our player's determination."

The Huskers will face top-seeded Texas tomorrow at 7 p.m. The Longhorns are ranked seventh nationally and received a bye into the quarterfinals with a perfect 11-0 Big 12 record and a 17-6 overall mark. In the first meeting between the two teams this year in Austin, Texas, the Longhorns defeated NU, 5-4.

"UT is a great program, and it is an honor to be in a conference with such quality opponents," Jacobson said. "The one thing our team will do tomorrow is compete very, very hard. That's all you can ask of kids when they step on the court."

Nebraska (17-8, 4-7) .............5
Kansas State (5-18, 3-8).......2

Singles
1. Anna Pampoulova (KSU) def. Sandra Noetzel (NU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Katarina Balan (NU) def. Alena Jecminkova (KSU) 7-5, 7-5
3. Ndali Ijomah (NU) def. Kathy Chuda (KSU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Gina Pelazini (NU) def. Eva Novotna (KSU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
5. Amy Frisch (NU) def. Natalia Farmer (KSU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
6. Vesselina Jeliaskova (KSU) def. Danica Hardy (NU) 6-7, 6-1, 6-1

Doubles
1. Noetzel/Ijomah (NU) def. Pampoulova/Jeliaskova (KSU) 8-1
2. Balan/Hardy (NU) vs. Jecminkova/Chuda (KSU) DNF
3. Ijomah/Frisch (NU) vs. Novotna/Farmer (KSU) DNP