Huskers Return Home for Weekend Series with the Bears and Hawkeyes

The No. 36 Nebraska women’s tennis team returns home after its first road test of the season to face the Missouri State Bears on Friday, Feb. 24, at 4 p.m., and the No. 48 Iowa Hawkeyes, Sunday, Feb. 26, at 10 a.m.  The Big Red will try to extend its home non-conference winning streak to 69 matches.

On Tuesday, the updated ITA National Rankings were released.  The Huskers retained their No. 36 team ranking while sophomore Imke Reimers received a national ranking.  Reimers is ranked No. 100 nationally, which marks the first ranking of her career.  Reimers has posted a 12-3 record this season, including winning 10 of her last 11 matches.  It has been a season of many firsts for Reimers.  In the fall, she captured the ITA Central Regional Consolation Bracket Championship, and in the spring, she recorded her first career victory over a ranked opponent when she defeated then-No. 38 Ela Kaluder of Arkansas.

The Huskers travelled to Missouri last weekend for its first road opener of the season.  NU hoped to set the tone early by taking the doubles point. Senior Ewelina Skaza and sophomore Imke Reimers fell at the No. 1 doubles spot, 8-3, putting pressure on the Huskers’ doubles teams at the Nos. 2 and 3 spots.  At the No. 2 spot, senior Milena Schulz-Gartner and freshman Kim Hartmann helped to turn the tide of the doubles play into Nebraska’s favor with a 8-4 victory over Yelena Olshanskaya and Valeria Dandik.  The win at No. 2 marks five wins in the last seven matches for the tandem from Germany.  Senior Pamela Castillejos and Ellinor Zugner won a close, crucial match over Erika Josbena and Amanda Pratzel, 8-6, at the No. 3 spot, to clinch the doubles point for NU.

Then-No. 36 Hartmann faced a tough test at the No. 1 singles spot.  Kraftova, MU’s No. 1 player, was off to a flawless start, owning an unblemished 4-0 spring singles record, including a win over No. 73 Gabby Baker of Oklahoma.  After falling to Aurelia Miseviciute of Arkansas on Feb. 13, which marked Hartmann’s first loss since October 21, Hartmann had something to prove.  The freshman from Germany wasted little time getting back into form, taking the match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.

Reimers was playing in only her second match at No. 2 singles this spring.  The sophomore, who has won 10 of her last 11 matches, including a victory over No. 38 Ela Kaluder of Arkansas, dominated Valeria Dandik, 6-2, 6-2.  Schulz-Gartner carried momentum from a key doubles win when she faced Josbena.  This match marked the second straight season Schulz-Gartner and Josbena faced each other, with Schulz-Gartner taking the first match, 6-2, 6-1.  Schulz-Gartner mirrored Hartmann’s result, again defeating Josbena, 6-4, 6-2.  Team captain Castillejos closed out the day for the Huskers with her sixth win in her last seven matches.  Castillejos defeated Chrissy Svetlic in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5.

With the victory, Nebraska improves to 6-1 on the year, and 1-1 in the conference.

“I was really proud of their effort,” Assistant coach Hayden Perez said.  “Kim Hartmann showed a lot of heart.  Imke Reimers and Milena Schulz-Gartner came out on fire and just took care of business.”

 

The Big 12 Watch

With its victory over the Tigers, Nebraska vaults into the top spot in the Big 12 overall standings.  NU, which owns a .857 winning percentage, is one of only two teams in the conference to own a winning percentage of .800 or better, with Kansas posting a .800 winning percentage.  

No. 16 Baylor, which suffered a loss to No. 14 Vanderbilt Feb. 14,  is the only other team in the conference with six wins.  The Huskers are one of eight teams to be ranked in the conference.  Only No. 3 Texas, No. 16 Baylor and No. 33 Texas A&M are ranked higher than the Big Red.

The Big 12 did not fare well this past weekend.  The conference posted a 4-11 record, including notching an upset over a nationally ranked team, as No. 75 Kansas defeated No. 74 Louisville, 4-3.

Nebraska resumes conference play March 4 in Waco, Texas, against No. 16 Baylor.

 

Nebraska Against Ranked Teams

Nebraska faces its third ranked opponent of the season Sunday in the No. 48 Iowa Hawkeyes.  NU is 1-1 against ranked teams, and 1-0 against ranked non-conference teams.  In its first match against a ranked team, Nebraska fell to No. 3 Texas, 6-1.  The bright spot came at the No. 1 singles spot with No. 36 freshman Kim Hartmann as she faced Texas’s junior Petra Dizdar. Hartmann jumped out early and gained a commanding lead, taking the first set, 6-2. In the second set, she found herself down, 5-4, before she rallied to take the set into a tight tiebreaker. Hartmann preserved her undefeated spring singles record, defeating Dizdar, 7-6 (7-5), in the second set.

On Feb. 13, Nebraska faced No. 57 Arkansas.  Nebraska made an adjustment near the top of the singles lineup but found itself down early, surrendering the doubles point. Sophomore Imke Reimers made her first appearance of the season at the No. 2 singles spot and faced the No. 38 player in freshman Ela Kaluder, who won the ITA Central Regional Championships and owned a 19-3 singles record. Reimers took control of the match by winning a tight first set, 7-6 (7-2), and never looked back. The sophomore from Germany dominated the second set, 6-1. The win marked Reimers’ first career victory over a ranked opponent.

 

A Look at the Bears

Missouri State owns a 2-3 record this season and is 0-1 against Big 12 foes.  The Bears and Huskers have had one common opponent, No. 57 Arkansas, who defeated the Bears,  6-0, on Jan. 27.

Senior Liz Garza is MSU’s No. 1 singles player.  She has posted a 1-4 record at that slot and is likely to face Hartmann.  Garza’s sole win this spring came against Oral Roberts’ Adrianna Garcia.  Freshman Nora Kuruc has moved into the Bears’ No. 2 spot after starting the season at No. 3.  Kuruc has had success this spring, winning three of her four matches at No. 2.  Kuruc and Garza also play together at the No. 1 doubles slot.

Missouri State is led by coach Jim Giachino, who is in his ninth year at MSU and owns a 96-102 record.

 

Husker-Bear History

Nebraska has dominated the all-time series with MissouriState, holding a 14-0 advantage.  The last time the two teamswas Jan. 30, 2005, during NU’s historic season that ended in its first-ever NCAA Team Tournament berth. 

The Huskers’ double play was dominant. Katie Garcia and Gitte Ostermann blanked Elizabeth Garza and Maja Stanojevic, 8-0, at the No. 1 slot, while Imke Reimers and Ewelina Skaza mirrored the success at No. 1, defeating Paty Manzur and Biljana Gakovic of SMS, 8-0.  Pamela Castillejos and Milena Schulz-Gartner dropped only one game during their 8-1 win over Carolina Ardila and Stephany Harmazy.

Nebraska defeated MissouriState, 7-0, improving the Big Red’s record to 4-0 and extending its home non-conference winning streak to 58 matches.

 

A Look at the Hawkeyes

The Iowa Hawkeyes come to Lincoln with a 4-2 record and ranked No. 48 nationally.  Iowa has faced two ranked teams this season, falling to both No. 16 Baylor and No. 54 Denver.  The Hawkeyes and Huskers have faced one common opponent this season, ColoradoState,  both teams defeated the Rams.

Junior Meg Racette, who is ranked No. 39 nationally and plays at the No. 1 singles spot, owns a 12-6 record.  Racette is 1-2 against ranked players and upset the reigning Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year Zuzana Zemenova of Baylor, 6-4, 6-4.  Zemenova is ranked No. 12 nationally.  Sunday’s  likely match-up of Hartmann and Racette should be an intriguing one.

Iowa is led by second-year coach Daryl Greenan.  Greenan has a 18-12 record with the Hawkeyes.

 

Husker-Hawkeye History

In their last meeting on Feb. 4, 2005, the Hawkeyes entered the match in Lincoln as the favorite, ranked No. 44.  Nebraska’s 59-match home non-conference winning streak looked to be in jeapordy, as No. 74 NU faced its first home non-conference opponent since playing host to No. 71 Eastern Michigan in 2003.

On the singles court, Gitte Ostermann, ranked No. 19 nationally, won the first set at the No. 1 singles spot before dropping the second set, losing 7-5 in the tie breaker. In the third set, Ostermann blanked Meg Racette, who was ranked No. 103 nationally, to win the match, 6-4, 6-7, 6-0. Skaza defeated Veselinovic in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. After dropping the first set, Garcia, the team captain, bounced back to win, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Nebraska improved to 5-0, while Iowa fell to 3-2.

Iowa leads the all-time series with NU, 13-5.

 

A Quick Look at the Probable Husker Lineup

4No. 1 singles - Kim Hartmann (13-3): Hartmann started the season ranked No. 36 nationally which is the highest national ranking for a freshman in school history.  She is also ranked No. 9 in the singles Central Regional rankings.  Hartmann has defeated three ranked players, including then-No. 28 Anca Anastasiu of USC.  Anastasiu is the highest-ranked player a Husker has beaten since Gitte Ostermann defeated then-No. 22 Nataly Cahana of Old Dominion in 2003.  During the spring, Hartmann’s only loss has come at the hands of No. 20 Aurelija Miseviciute of Arkansas.

4No. 2 singles - Imke Reimers (12-3): Reimers posted six wins in NU’s first seven matches of spring play.   As a result, Reimers is now ranked No. 100 nationally, her first career national ranking.  Reimers has been hot as of late.  When then No. 57 Arkansas came to Lincoln, Reimers upset then-No. 38 Ela Kaluder in straight sets, 7-6 (2), 6-1.  On Feb. 3, Reimers posted her third career 6-0, 6-0 victory as she defeated Lauren Wilson of Air Force.  After posting a 6-2 fall singles record, Reimers was ranked No. 21 in the Central Regional rankings, and No. 7 in the regional doubles rankings with Skaza.

4No. 3 singles - Vanessa Heute (6-6): The freshman is 6-6 to start the season.  Heute saw her first action at the ITA Regionals where she rolled through the Qualifying tournament with two victories, including defeating KU’s Brittany Brown, to advance to the Main Draw of the tournament.  Heute recorded her first spring victory as a Husker when she battled through an ankle injury and defeated UIC’s Corey Steven, 6-2, 7-5.

4No. 4 singles - Milena Schulz-Gartner (4-5): Schulz-Gartner is a third-year player who has competed near the top of the Husker lineup throughout her career in Lincoln.  As a sophomore, she posted a 20-win season, and as a junior she went 7-4 at the No. 3 spot, where three of her four losses were three-set thrillers.  Schulz-Gartner recorded her first win of the spring when she defeated CSU’s Jessica Jones, 6-0, 6-3.

4No. 5 singles - Pamela Castillejos (6-2): The senior entered her final season as a Husker as team captain and returned as Nebraska’s most productive player.  In 2005, the senior from Mexico set the school’s best single-season winning percentage (.880) as she posted a 22-3 record.  Castillejos has won six of first seven matches this spring with her only loss coming in a three-set thriller against Texas’ Kelly Baritot, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

4No. 6 singles - Ewelina Skaza (4-4): Skaza recorded over 40 combined victories in her first year as a Husker.  Although she has been plagued by an illness and a slight injury in the spring, last fall, she showed signs of consistency as she posted a 3-1 singles record at the Lloyd Sokstad Invitational at Drake, including a 1-1 mark against conference foes.       

About the Huskers ...

4Nebraska has produced eight straight winning seasons.

4The Big Red owns a 68 match home non-conference winning streak.

4Freshman Kim Hartmann received the first national ranking of her career, No. 36.

4Hartmann’s No. 36 ranking is the highest national ranking for a Husker freshman in school history.

4Hartmann’s victory over No. 28 Anca Anastasiu is the highest ranked player NU has beaten since Gitte Ostermann defeated then-No. 22 Nataly Cahana of Old Dominion.

4The Huskers have a history of starting the season fast.  NU has won four of its first five  matches for nine straight seasons.

4The Big Red has posted at least a six-match win streak to start two of the last three seasons.

4Nebraska’s preseason No. 38 team national ranking was the highest ranking to begin the season in school history.

4NU’s current No. 36 national ranking is the highest NU ranking since April 26, 2005.

4Sophomore Imke Reimers received her first-career national ranking on Feb. 22.  Reimers is ranked No. 100.

4Nebraska has climbed in the national rankings in two of the past three weeks.

4NU achieved the highest ranking in school history when the Huskers were ranked No. 30 on March 30, 2005.

4Both of NU’s newcomers, Hartmann and Heute, entered the season regionally ranked, and play at the Nos. 1 and 2 singles spots in the Husker lineup.                 
4Hartmann’s regional ranking, No. 9, is believed to be the highest regional ranking for a freshman in school history.

4Castillejos’ 22 wins last season mark her highest single-season win total, eclipsing her previous high of 10 victories in 2004.

4The 17 doubles victories by Reimers and Skaza last season rank fifth on NU’s single season doubles wins.

4Castillejos’ 22-3 season record last year marks the best single-season winning percentage in school history at .880.

4With 187 wins in 15 years, Head Coach Scott Jacobson is Nebraska’s winningest and longest serving coach in school history.

4Pamela Castillejos entered her senior season as team captain.

4Nebraska’s 18 wins in 2005 represents its third highest victory total under Jacobson. It also marks the fifth time in Coach Scott Jacobson’s tenure that NU has tallied at least 15 wins.

4Sophomore Imke Reimers’ No. 21 regional ranking marked the first time she has entered the season regionally ranked.

4Reimers’s 6-0, 6-0 victory on Feb. 3 marked the third-time in her career she has blanked an opponent.

4The Feb. 5 match with Drake broke a 13-13 series tie and gave the Big Red the edge in the series.

4With a win over Drake, Jacobson became NU’s first coach to reach 185 wins.

4NU’s win over No. 57 Arkansas marks its third home victory over a non-conference ranked opponent in the last two seasons.

4Iowa, ranked No. 48, will be the second ranked non-conference team NU has played this season.

4Nebraska’s 14-match winning streak over MissouriState is the second-longest winning streak over a single team in school history.  Only a 20-match winning streak over Creighton is longer.