NU Travels to Missouri

Lincoln -- The Nebraska women’s tennis team returns to Big 12 Conference action Saturday, April 3, at No. 50 Missouri. The match begins at noon at the Green Tennis Center.

The Huskers appear to be gaining momentum as the final month of the season approaches. NU has won three of its last four matches, all by scores of 7-0. The Huskers picked up their first Big 12 win March 26 against Iowa State, then blasted Saint Louis March 28, winning every singles match in straight sets. At 11-5 overall and 1-3 in the league, Nebraska needs just one more victory to match its 2003 win total of 12.

Nebraska’s upswing has come at the right time. The date with the Tigers begins a seven-match Big 12 stretch in which the Huskers will face six ranked opponents. Nebraska is 2-5 this season against ranked opponents, defeating No. 55 Yale Feb. 21 and No. 75 Utah March 17.

The Huskers continue to be led by senior Leslie Harvey and sophomore Milena Schulz-Gartner. Both have 11-5 spring records. Harvey picked up her 50th career win in Nebraska’s victory over the Utah. She is 5-1 at No. 2 singles and 6-4 in the No. 3 spot. Schulz-Gartner is 9-2 at No. 2 singles and 3-3 when playing in the top spot.

No. 1 singles player Gitte Ostermann was ranked No. 48 in the March 23 ITA rankings and owns a team-best three-match winning streak.

A Look at Missouri
Missouri, 9-8 overall and 2-5 in the Big 12 Conference, was ranked No. 50 in the March 23 ITA rankings. The Tigers have lost three of their last four matches, but the losses have come against top-ranked comeptition, including No. 35 Baylor, No. 14 Fresno State and No. 29 Oregon.

Junior Hana Kraftova leads Missouri with a 10-4 singles record. The Tigers are coached by Blake Starkey, who is in his eighth season at the helm.

Nebraska is 19-6 all-time against Missouri but lost to the Tigers, 6-1, in the most recent meeting Feb. 15, 2003.

Up Next
Following its match at Missouri April 3, Nebraska returns to Lincoln for a four-match Big 12 homestand. The Huskers will play host to Kansas State (April 10), Texas Tech (April 11), Kansas (April 17) and Colorado (April 18).

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 158-123, 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.