Huskers Travel to California to Take on Eighth Ranked Opponent of Season

The No. 31 Nebraska women’s tennis team travels to California this weekend to take on No. 67 Long Beach State in Long Beach, Calif., on Saturday, March 19, at 11 a.m. The 49ers is the third ranked team NU has played on the road. Nebraska enters the weekend with a 13-2 overall dual record and a 4-2 record in conference play. NU’s only losses have come at the hands of two top-20 teams. LBSU is the eighth ranked team the Huskers have faced this season. Nebraska’s five victories over ranked teams is believed to be the most in school history.

The Huskers moved up in the national rankings again this week this time to No. 31, the highest ranking in school history. The previous mark was set last week when Nebraska was ranked No. 36. The Big Red has been ranked for the entire year and has moved up 42 spots from its lowest ranking of No. 73.

NU plays five of its next six matches on the road, after beginning the season with 10 of 12 matches at the Woods Tennis Center. The Huskers’ remaining home contest is on April 3, when they face Oklahoma State.

On Saturday, March 3, Nebraska dominated Kansas, 6-1. In singles, freshman Ellinor Zugner recorded the third win of her career. At the No. 6 slot, Zugner defeated KU’s Stephanie Smith in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. Junior Milena Schulz-Gartner defeated Brittany Brown at the No. 3 slot, 6-1, 6-5, while junior Pamela Castillejos won a three set thriller over Ashley Filberth, 6-2, 6-7 (3), 1-0 (3). Castillejos improved her record at the No. 5 slot to 13-0. In doubles, junior Ewelina Skaza and freshman Imke Reimers defeated Christine Skoda and Filberth at the No. 2 slot, 8-5, the duo’s 13th win together. At the No. 1 slot, seniors Gitte Ostermann and Katie Garcia beat Brown and Lauren Hommell, 8-4, Ostermann and Garcia’s 12th win this season at the No. 1 slot.

NU improved its conference record to 4-2 on the season. The Huskers are just two wins away from tying their mark for the most conference wins in a single season under Head Coach Scott Jacobson, set in 1999 and 2000. Senior Gitte Ostermann, ranked No. 25 nationally, is three wins away from ranking fifth on NU’s single season wins chart, with 25, and she has won a career-high 12 matches this season, all at the No. 1 slot. Several Huskers are experienceing the best seasons of their careers at NU. Castillejos has posted a career-best 14 wins this season, eclipsing her previous best of 10 wins, while Skaza is two wins away from matching her career best with 14 wins during her freshman year at Miami.

This year, the Huskers have achieved several all-time highs. NU began the season ranked No. 71 before shooting up in the ITA rankings to No. 31, the highest in school history. The previous high was No. 39 achieved in 2001. Ostermann jumped one spot from No. 19 to No. 18 in singles, while the doubles team of senior Katie Garcia and Ostermann received a No. 23 ranking, the highest in school history.

Earlier in the season, Nebraska played five straight nationally ranked teams. Of those five matches, only then-No. 72 Missouri was ranked below NU. The Huskers have come out of that stretch in good shape, taking four out of five matches.

A Look at the Long Beach State 49ers

The No. 67 Long Beach State 49ers enter the weekend with 6-5 dual match record. The 49ers have faced four ranked teams, including No. 8 Southern Cal and No. 35 Pepperdine. LBSU’s record against ranked teams is 1-3, after defeating then-No. 75 UC-Irvine.

The defending Big West champions have a young lineup, which includes only two seniors. The 49ers, however, have several returning all-conference players. Senior Nicole Bouffler is a returning first-team All-Big West singles and doubles player, and she has posted a 7-4 singles record at the No. 1 slot this season. Sopohomore Sandra Rocha was Boufler’s doubles partner last seasona and

was also a first-team All-Big West selection. Junior Alanah Carroll was a second-team All-Big West doubles selction and received an honorable mention in singles play.

Head Coach Jenny Hilt-Costello is in her eighth year and has posted a 107-71 record. Hally Cohen has served as an asistant coach for six years at Long Beach State.

Huskers-49ers History

Nebraska leads the all-time series with the 49ers, 3-2. Last year, LBSU came to Lincoln on March 20, with a No. 55 national ranking and handed Huskers a 7-0 defeat. NU fell to 9-5 on the season, while the 49ers improved to 10-5, and was Long Beach State’s eigth-straight victory. LBSU took all three doubles matches. At the No. 1 singles slot, Milena Schulz-Gartner dropped a three-set thriller to Nicole Bouffler, 2-6, 6-4, 10-7, as NU dropped three super tie-breakers.

About the Huskers ...

4Nebraska has produced eight straight winning seasons including 2004.

4Nebraska’s 15 wins in 2004 represent its highest victory total since 2001. It also marks the fifth time in Coach Scott Jacobson’s tenure that NU has tallied at least 15 wins.

4The Big Red owns a 63-match home non-conference winning streak.

4Senior Gitte Ostermann’s singles ranking of No. 18 is the highest in school history.

4Senior Katie Garcia and Ostermann’s doubles ranking of No. 23 is the highest in school history.

4The Huskers won seven of the first eight matches of the season, including a 4-1 record over nationally ranked teams.

4NU’s win over Missouri marked the Huskers’ first conference-opening victory since 2001.

4NU’s team ranking of No. 31 is the highest in school history, eclipsing the No. 36 ranking set last week.

4Nebraska’s win over No. 28 Texas A&M is NU’s second all-time win over the Aggies.

4Four Huskers have won more than 10 matches this year, including Ostermann juniors Pamela Castillejos and Ewelina Skaza and Imke Reimers.

4No. 28 Texas A&M is believed to be the highest ranked team NU has beaten and the win was the first NU win over a top-40 team since NU’s victory over No. 38 Ohio State in 2003.

4Nebraska’s five wins over ranked opponents is believed to be the most in school history.

4Castillejos’ 14 wins marks her highest single-season win total, eclipsing her previous high of 10 victories last season.

4The duo of Reimers and Skaza are two wins away from cracking the top-5 in single-season team doubles wins at Nebraska.

4Long Beach State is the eighth ranked team NU has faced this year.

A Quick Look at the Probable Husker lineup

4No. 1 singles - Gitte Ostermann (12-2): Ostermann is ranked No. 25 nationally in the ITA rankings. For two weeks, Ostermann was ranked No. 18, which is the highest in school history. Ostermann had a strong fall campaign, recording nine victories and winning the ITA Regional Championships in Tulsa, Okla. She has won 12 of her first 14 matches this spring.

4No. 2 singles - Imke Reimers (10-5): The freshman is 10-5 to start the season, including four victories at the No. 2 slot. She recorded her first win as a Husker against Creighton on Jan. 20, blanking Deidre Senders, 6-0, 6-0. She narrowly missed pulling the upset against No. 47 Helga Vieira of Texas A&M when she lost in a three-set thriller, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4. Reimers has won five of her last six matches.

4No. 3 singles - Milena Schulz-Gartner (9-5): Schulz-Gartner has played anywhere from the No. 2 slot to the No. 4 slot. She is 7-3 at the No. 3 singles slot and 1-1 at the No. 2 and 4 spots. Last year, Schulz-Gartner and former Husker Anna Oehme each tallied 18 victories to rank fourth all-time for single-season wins at Nebraska.

4No. 4 singles - Ewelina Skaza (12-3): A transfer from Miami, Skaza is undefeated in singles play at the No. 4 slot and has yet to drop a set at that spot. Skaza dropped two close sets against Texas’s Mia Marovic at the No. 3 slot, including forcing a second set tiebreaker, before falling, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6). Skaza has won 12 straight matches at the No. 4 slot.

4No. 5 singles - Pamela Castillejos (14-1): The junior currently is on an 11-match winning streak at the No. 5 slot, the longest of her career. During that time, Castillejos has dropped only two sets at this slot. Against No. 28 A&M, Castillejos clinched the historic victory with a win over Marisa Druss, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Castillejos leads the team with five conference wins.

4No. 6 singles - Katie Garcia (9-4): A three year captain, Garcia tied her career-long winning streak of six matches earlier this season. Garcia has amassed 30 career singles wins.