Freshmen Continue to Roll in ITA Central Regionals

Salt Lake City, Utah?A pair of freshmen continued to impress, as Vanessa Heute and Kim Hartmann advanced to the round of 32 in the Singles Main Draw Thursday, Oct. 20 to lead the Nebraska women’s tennis team at the ITA Central Regionals in Salt Lake City.

In the first round of the Singles Main Draw, Heute carried her momentum from the Qualifying Tournament and defeated Elana Smit of Weber State, 6-2, 6-2, while the Big Red’s other freshman, Hartmann, posted her sixth win as a Husker, dominating Idaho State’s Denise Cockrell, 6-1, 6-0. Sophomore Imke Reimers fell to Utah’s Elizabeth Ferris, 6-2, 6-4.

In the Doubles Main Draw, the Husker doubles teams of Hartmann and senior Milena Schulz-Gartner and Reimers and senior Ewelina Skaza received byes in the first round, while senior Pamela Castillejos and sophomore Ellinor Zugner defeated Bindiya Parek and Rosario Negrete of Arkansas Little Rock, 8-5. In the second round, Zugner and Castillejos conitnued to roll, defeating conference foes Kara Hickey and Beth Chermel of Iowa State, 9-7, while Reimers and Skaza defeated Missouri's Erika Josbena and Yelean Olshanskaya, 8-4.

Assistant coach Hayden Perez was pleased with the performance of the doubles teams.

"It was a good day overall," Perez said. "Reimers came up against a tough opponent in Utah's No. 1 player, and it wasn't her day. In doubles, we liked what we saw. In Kim and Milena's match, they got down early and just couldn't come back."

The Huskers will continue play in the Main Draw of the tournament on Friday, Oct. 20.

ITA Central Regionals
Results
Main Draw Singles
First Round
Vanessa Heute (NU) def. Elana Smit (WSU), 6-2, 6-2
Kim Hartmann (NU) def. Denise Cockrell (ISU), 6-1, 6-0
Elizabeth Ferris (Utah) def. Imke Reimers (NU), 6-2, 6-4

Main Draw Doubles
First Round
Hartmann/Milena Schulz-Gartner (NU), bye
Reimers/Ewelina Skaza (NU), bye
Pamela Castillejos/Ellinor Zugner (NU) def. Bindiya Parek/Rosario Negrete(UALR), 8-5

Second Round Doubles
Castillejos/Zugner (NU) def. Kara Hickey/BethChermel (ISU), 9-7
Reimers/Skaza (NU) def. Erika Josbena/Yelena Olshanskaya (MU), 8-4
Patricia Chien/Karolina Rowinski (WU) def. Schulz-Gartner/Hartmann (NU) , 8-3