Huskers Ranks 68th, Ostermann Soars to No. 19

Nebraska junior Gitte Ostermann has earned the No. 19 spot in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I Women’s preseason rankings, the highest ranking ever for a Husker women’s tennis player. Ostermann, who was previously unranked, raced up the charts after producing a 14-4 fall record, including an 8-3 mark against opponents listed in the preseason rankings. Only two players in the country had more top-100 wins than Ostermann during the fall.

Ostermann, the Huskers’ No. 1 singles player for the past two seasons, owns a 29-16 career record and was a first-team All-Big 12 pick in 2003 despite playing with a injured shoulder. Her previous high ranking came two years ago when she was ranked No. 55 as a freshman. NU Coach Scott Jacobson said Ostermann is now healthy for the first time in her career at Nebraska.

"This is the highest ranking ever for a player in our program, so it is very exciting," NU Coach Scott Jacobson said. "We believe that Gitte is one of the top players in the country, and now that she is completely healthy, she will have the chance to prove it. The sky is the limit for her. She is an amazing talent."

The Huskers are at No. 68 in the ITA preseason team rankings. NU returns eight letterwinners, including four seniors, from its 2003 squad that finished with a 12-11 record. Seven Big 12 teams join NU, including No. 24 Texas A&M, No. 27 Texas, No. 32 Baylor, No. 35 Oklahoma, No. 37 Oklahoma State, No. 38 Missouri and No. 44 Colorado.