Huskers Look For First Big 12 Win

The No. 71 Nebraska tennis team will look for its first win against a Big 12 Conference opponent Saturday, March 13, when it plays host to No. 16 Texas A&M at 10 a.m. at Woods Tennis Center. The Aggies are the second straight ranked team NU has faced, and the matchup with A&M ends a difficult six-match stretch in which the Huskers will play five ranked teams.

Nebraska is 1-4 against ranked teams this season, falling to No. 16 Texas, No. 48 Ohio State and No. 35 Baylor but upsetting No. 64 Yale.

The Huskers enter the week with an 8-3 overall record and an 0-2 league mark after dropping a 5-2 decision at Baylor March 6 at the Baylor Tennis Center. Nebraska’s effort was highlighted by the performance of Milena Schulz-Gartner. The sophomore provided NU’s only singles victory, as she defeated Daniela Covello, 5-7, 6-2 (12-10) at the No. 2 spot. Schulz-Gartner also combined with senior Anna Oehme for a victory at No. 3 doubles to help the Huskers win the doubles point.

Doubles play continues to be a strength for Nebraska. The Huskers are a combined 24-9 in doubles action, including a 7-4 mark at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. NU has won 10 of 11 matches at No. 3 doubles. Oehme and Schulz-Gartner have been the most successful team, posting a 9-2 mark from the No. 2 and No. 3 spots.

A Look at the Aggies
No. 16 Texas A&M enters the week riding a five-match winning streak after defeating Houston last Saturday. A&M will take on No. 30 Pennsylvania and Louisiana State this week before arriving in Lincoln.

The Aggies are 8-5 overall and 2-0 in the league, and all five of Texas A&M’s losses have been to opponents ranked No. 13 or higher. Texas A&M is led by senior Jessica Roland, who is ranked a career-high No. 15 in the ITA singles rankings and is riding a five-match winning streak at the No. 1 position.

Texas A&M is coached by Bobby Kleinecke, a two-time conference coach of the year who is in his 18th season.

A&M leads the series with NU, 7-1, and defeated Nebraska, 7-0, last year. The lone Husker victory was a 5-4 triumph in 1998 in Lincoln.

Last Time Out: NU Falls to No. 35 Baylor
The No. 71 Nebraska women’s tennis team fell to No. 35 Baylor, 5-2, March 6 at the Baylor Tennis Center. With the loss, the Huskers dropped to 8-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12. NU is 1-2 against ranked opponents this season.

The Huskers opened the match with strong doubles play, taking the No. 1 and No. 3 matches to earn the doubles point. Senior Anna Oehme and sophomore Milena Schulz-Gartner defeated Stephanie Balzert and Izabela Mijic at No. 3 doubles, 8-2. The No. 1 duo of Rose Ketmayura and Leslie Harvey was also successful, beating Carolin Walter and Daria Potapova, 8-3.

However, Nebraska won just one of the six singles contests. Sophomore Milena Schulz-Gartner defeated Daniela Covello, 5-7, 6-2 (12-10) at No. 2 singles. In the only match of the day between two ranked players, the Bears’ #49 Carolin Walter def. NU’s #31 Gitte Ostermann, 6-4, 6-4.

Up Next
Following its match against No. 16 Texas A&M, the Huskers will then take a spring break trip to Newport Beach, Calif. NU will take on Utah March 17 at 11 a.m. and Long Beach State March 20 at 11 a.m.

Nebraska Notables

• Senior Anna Oehme hit the 50-win mark for her career Feb. 27 when she defeated Creighton’s Deidre Senders, 6-0, 6-0. Leslie Harvey is just one win away from amassing 50 career singles victories.
• Sophomore Milena Schulz-Gartner owns a team-best four-match winning streak. Schulz-Gartner and Oehme have also won their last three doubles matches.
• Nebraska is just four wins away from matching its 2003 total of 12.
• The Huskers have shut out five teams 7-0 in 2004, including Montana State, Wichita State, Wyoming, Air Force and Creighton. Nebraska’s biggest wins so far were Feb. 21 against No. 64 Yale and Feb. 1 over perennial NCAA Tournament qualifier Illinois-Chicago

Ostermann Ranked No. 31 in ITA Poll
Nebraska junior Gitte Ostermann earned the No. 31 spot in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I Women’s preseason rankings released Feb. 24. Ostermann is 3-3 at the No. 1 spot this season, as she missed the first five meets of the season with injury.

Ostermann was ranked 19th in the ITA 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 32-19 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.

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 155-121, 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.