Nebraska Caps Greatest Season in School History

    The No. 31 Nebraska women’s tennis team finished one of the greatest regular seasons in school history with a win over No. 62 Colorado, 4-3, on Sunday, April 24.  NU improved its record to 18-2 on the season, which is the best overall record in the conference, while it earned a No. 3 seed in the conference tournament with a 9-2 league record.  CU was the seventh ranked opponent NU defeated this year, which is believed to be the most in school history.

Because of inclement weather, the match started at 9:30 a.m., which is the earliest start for the Huskers this season.  With the schedule change, the match format was altered and began with singles play.  At No. 1, No. 36 senior Gitte Ostermann defeated Lynzee Kever in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6 (6), while junior Pamela Castillejos gained her team-high 19th victory when she rolled over Martina Sedivec, 6-2, 6-2.  Junior Ewelina Skaza picked up her second win at the No. 3 spot as she defeated Jessica Vaderdys in a three-set thriller, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.

The match entered doubles play tied, 3-3.  CU’s No. 1 duo of Kendra Strandemo and Vanderdys, who were ranked No. 43, defeated seniors Ostermann and Katie Garcia, 8-1.  Needing to win the last two doubles matches for a team victory, Castillejos and freshman Ellinor Zugner defeated Gleisy Torres Torres and Jenny Hanson at the No. 3 slot, 8-5, and Skaza and freshman Imke Reimers at No. 2 pulled out a close match, 9-7, and clinched the doubles point.

Ostermann, a three-time All-Big 12 selection and three-time academic All-Big 12 selection, is fifth on NU’s career singles chart with 73 wins.  She attained the highest singles ranking in school history at No. 18 earlier this season, and, with Garcia, grabbed the program’s highest doubles ranking at No. 23.  Ostermann has been NU’s No. 1 singles player all four years of her Husker career. 

Garcia is Nebraska’s first three-time captain.  She has posted 32 career singles wins and has moved past Amy Frisch for fourth on NU’s career doubles chart with 47 wins.

NU jumped from No. 35 to No. 31 in the ITA national rankings released Tuesday.  In their previous two matches, the Huskers defeated two ranked teams in No. 62 Colorado and No. 75 Kansas State.  Only two conference teams, No. 10 Texas and No. 15 Baylor, are ranked higher than NU.

With its victory over CU, Nebraska reset the mark for the most conference wins in a single season under Head Coach Scott Jacobson with nine.  NU posted six wins in league play in 1999 and 2000.  Ostermann matched her career-best 25 wins, which ranks fourth all-time on NU’s season singles wins chart.  She has won a career-high 16 matches this spring, all at the No. 1 slot.

Ostermann, Garcia and junior Milena Schulz-Gartner were named to the first team academic All-Big 12, while Castillejos was named to the second team.  The honor marks the fourth time Ostermann has been named to the first team and the first time for three-time captain Garcia, who was a second-team honoree as a junior.  Schulz-Gartner, who was a member of the 2004 Big 12 Commissioner’s Spring and Fall Honor rolls, is a first-time first-team honoree.  This is the second straight year Castillejos has been named to the second team.

Several Huskers are experiencing the best seasons of their careers.  Castillejos has posted a career-best 19 wins this spring, eclipsing her previous high of 10 wins, while Skaza has matched her personal-high of 14 wins set during her freshman year at Miami.  Castillejos, with a 21-2 season record, is on pace to have the best single-season winning percentage in school history of .909.

This year, the Huskers have also achieved several all-time team highs. NU began the season ranked No. 71 before shooting up in the ITA rankings 41 spots to No. 30, the highest in school history.  The previous high of No. 39 was achieved in 2001. 

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 came out of that stretch in good shape, taking four out of five matches.    

 

A Quick Look at the Big 12 Tournament

     The Big 12 Women’s Tennis Championships is being held in Austin, Texas, for the second time in conference history.  Nebraska enters with the No. 3 seed which gives NU a buy in the first round for the first time in school history.  Only the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, Texas and Baylor, have defeated the Huskers, as NU owns a 9-2 conference record.

   The Big Red’s first match is on Friday, April 29, at 6 p.m.  NU plays the winner of the No. 6 seed Colorado and No. 11 Kansas match.  Nebraska has had success against both teams this year.  On Saturday, April 12, the Huskers rolled over KU, 6-1.  Nebraska swept Kansas in doubles play, and in singles play, Ostermann dominated Elizaveta Avdeeva, 6-0, 6-1, as the Huskers went on to take five out of six singles matches.  In its last match of the season, Nebraska defeated Colorado, 4-3.

   If the Huskers advance into the semifinals for the first time in school history, Nebraska would face the winner of the No. 2 Texas and No. 7 Oklahoma/No. 10 Kansas State match on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

 

About the Huskers ...

4Nebraska has produced eight straight winning seasons including 2005.

4Nebraska’s 18 wins in 2005 represents its third highest victory total under Coach Scott Jacobson, trailing only the 2000 and 2001 seasons when NU won 19 matches. 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 on Feb. 22 was the highest in school history.

4Senior Katie Garcia and Ostermann’s doubles ranking of No. 23 on Feb. 22 was the highest in school history.

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

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

4NU achieved the highest ranking in school history when the Huskers were ranked No. 30 on March 30.

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

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

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

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

4Castillejos’ 22 wins marks her highest single-season win total, eclipsing her previous high of 10 victories last season.

4The duo of Reimers and Skaza has earned 17 doubles victories to rank fifth on NU’s single-season doubles wins chart.

4NU is 7-2 against nationally ranked teams this season.

4Castillejos, with a 22-2 season record (.916 percentage), is on pace to have the best single-season winning percentage in school history.

4NU’s 18 wins ranks third on its all-time season wins chart.

4Nebraska set its mark for the most conference wins in a single season under Head Coach Scott Jacobson with nine.

4Team captain Katie Garcia has posted 47 career doubles wins, which ties Lisa Hart at No. 3 all-time at NU.

4Ostermann ranks No. 5 on NU’s career combined wins (individual and doubles) list with 120. 

4The Huskers, with a winning percentage of .900, are on track to post the highest season winning percentage in school history.

4Freshman Imke Reimers has won eight of her last 10 matches at the No. 2 slot.

4NU finished third in conference play, which is the highest conference finish for NU since 1990, and the team’s highest finish as part of the Big 12 era.

4On April 20, Jacobson recorded his 180th career victory.  Jacobson is the winningest coach in NU history.

4The Huskers moved up to No. 31 in the national rankings which ends a two week skid in the rankings.  During that skid, the Big Red recorded a 3-0 record.

4NU’s nine conference wins are believed to be the most in school history.

 

A Quick Look at the Probable Husker Lineup

4No. 1 singles - Gitte Ostermann (16-3): Ostermann is ranked No. 36 nationally in the ITA rankings.  For two weeks, Ostermann was ranked No. 18, which represented the highest ranking in school history.  Ostermann had a strong fall campaign, recording nine victories and winning the ITA Regional  Championships in Tulsa, Okla.  She won 10 of her first 11 matches this spring.

4No. 2 singles - Imke Reimers (13-7): The freshman is 13-7 this season, including 12 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 eight of her last 10 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 (14-6): 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’ 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 (19-1): The junior is currently on an 13-match winning streak at the No. 5 slot, the longest of her career.  During that time, Castillejos has dropped only two sets.  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 10 conference wins.

4No. 6 singles - Katie Garcia (11-7): A three-year captain, Garcia tied her career-long winning streak of six matches earlier this season.  Garcia has amassed 32 career singles wins.