Huskers Host In-State Rival Creighton

Lincoln -- The No. 71 Nebraska women’s tennis team continues a three-match break from Big 12 action this Friday, Feb. 27, when it plays host to in-state rival Creighton (3-5) at 4 p.m. at Woods Tennis Center. NU hopes to protect its impressive home winning streak against non-conference teams, which stands at 52. Nebraska has defeated six non-conference teams at Woods during the 2004 season.

The Huskers enter the week with a 7-2 record after splitting weekend matches in Ohio. NU fell to No. 48 Ohio State, 6-1, Feb. 20 before upsetting No. 64 Yale, 5-2, Feb. 21. Nebraska is just five wins away from matching its 2003 total.

In 2004, Nebraska has benefited from strong singles play at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. Sophomore Milena Schulz-Gartner and senior Leslie Harvey have combined for an 8-1 record at No. 2 singles, while Harvey and senior Anna Oehme have combined for a 7-2 mark at No. 3 singles.

Overall, the Huskers have dropped just 16 of the 54 singles matches they have played. In doubles action, Nebraska is a combined 19-2. Oehme and Schulz-Gartner have been the most successful team, posting a 7-2 mark from the No. 2 and No. 3 spots.

A Look at Creighton
Creighton is 3-5 overall and 0-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference after falling to Drake, 7-0, Feb. 22. Creighton features sophomore Christie Rothe, who was 15-17 last season while playing No. 1 and No. 2 singles. The Bluejays are coached by Tom Lilly, who is in his seventh season at the helm of the both the women’s and men’s programs. Nebraska is 18-0 all-time vs. Creighton. NU defeated the Bluejays, 7-0, March 5, 2003, in the last meeting between the two teams.

Last Time Out: NU Upsets No. 64 Yale
No. 71 Nebraska picked up its first victory over a ranked opponent in 2004 with a 5-2 upset of No. 64 Yale Feb. 21 in Columbus, Ohio. With the win, the Huskers improved to 7-1 overall and 1-1 on the weekend after falling to No. 48 Ohio State Feb. 20.

The win was Nebraska’s first-ever over Yale, as the Huskers evened the series at 1-1. NU’s last win against a ranked opponent came against No. 66 Denver on April 13, 2003.

The Huskers swept the doubles matches to earn the point, as the No. 1 team of Rose Ketmayura and Leslie Harvey won 9-8, the No. 2 team of Gitte Ostermann and Katie Garcia took a 8-7 win, and the No. 3 team of Anna Oehme and Milena Schulz-Gartner won, 8-2.

Nebraska’s top two singles players were each victorious. Ostermann defeated Yales’ Christina Alford, 6-3, 6-0, at No. 1 singles, and Schulz-Gartner beat Karlyn Martin, 6-2, 7-5, at the No. 2 spot. Ketmayura was a winner at No. 4 singles, defeating Stephanie White, 6-2, 6-2, and Pamela Castillejos won, 8-6, at No. 6 singles over Yales’ Aimee Kim. The teams played abbreviated matches at No. 5 and No. 6 singles because Nebraska had already clinched a team victory.

Up Next
Following its match against Creighton, Nebraska returns to Big 12 action at No. 35 Baylor on March 6, at 10 a.m. in Waco, Texas. NU then plays host to No. 19 Texas A&M in Lincoln March 13 before a spring break trip to Long Beach, Calif.

Nebraska Notables

• The Huskers have shut out four teams 7-0 in 2004, including Montana State, Wichita State, Wyoming and Air Force. Nebraska’s biggest wins so far were Feb. 21 against No. 64 Yale and Feb. 1 over perennial NCAA Tournament qualifier Illinois-Chicago
• Senior Leslie Harvey suffered her first losses of the season last weekend against Ohio State and Yale. Harvey entered the weekend with a 7-0 record.
• Senior Anna Oehme needs just one more singles victory to hit the 40-win mark for her career. Leslie Harvey is just two wins away from amassing 50 career singles victories.
• Junior Gitte Ostermann saw her first competition of the spring Feb. 8 against Wyoming, when she teamed with Katie Garcia for a win at No. 3 doubles. Ostermann, the nation’s No. 19 singles player, had been sidelined with injuries in 2004 after an impressive fall season in which she posted a 14-4 record.

Ostermann Ranked 19th in ITA Poll
Nebraska junior Gitte Ostermann earned the No. 19 spot in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I Women’s preseason rankings released on Jan. 12, 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 30-17 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.

Huskers Face Difficult Schedule
Nebraska will play an extremely difficult schedule in 2004, as 12 of the Huskers’ 23 regular-season matches are against teams ranked in the ITA Division I preseason rankings. NU is in the midst of a stretch from Feb. 14 to March 13 in which five of six opponents are ranked, including No. 16 Texas (Feb. 14) and No. 19 Texas A&M (March 13).

The Huskers face a particularly tough stretch in April, when six of the seven teams they face are ranked. The Big 12 Championships begin April 29, in Norman, Okla. Ten Big 12 teams, including No. 68 Nebraska, were ranked in the ITA preseason poll.

Nebraska Coach Scott Jacobson
In his 13th year, Scott Jacobson continues to lead Nebraska to success on the national level despite battling one of the toughest conferences in the nation.

With a career-record of 154-120, Jacobson is the winningest coach in Nebraska women’s tennis history. He has led the Huskers to a national ranking in each of the past seven seasons. NU has also produced seven straight winning seasons under Jacobson’s leadership. Jacobson’s top seasons were in 2000 and 2001, when he guided the program to consecutive 19-6 records.

Jacobson has coached six Big 12 Conference champions and three all-conference players, including Gitte Ostermann in 2003. A school-record five Nebraska women’s tennis players were named to the Academic All-Big 12 team last season. In Jacobson’s 12 years, the Huskers have combined for 24 academic all-conference honors, including 15 first-team accolades.

In 2003, Jacobson led NU to a 12-11 record and a No. 76 ranking. Nebraska defeated two ranked teams, including No. 71 Eastern Michigan and No. 66 Denver.