Husker Comeback Bid Falls Short

Lincoln?The No. 49 Nebraska women’s tennis team fell to No. 65 Texas Tech Sunday, 4-3, in a key Big 12 Conference battle at the WoodsTennisCenter. The loss dropped NU’s record to 11-6 on the year and 2-3 in the conference.

 

The Huskers continued their season-long struggle in doubles matches, once again dropping the doubles point. Senior Milena Schulz-Gartner and freshman Kim Hartmann fell to Cigdem Duru and Janet Durham, 8-3, at the No. 2 slot. The Red Raiders then clinched the doubles point at the No. 3 spot when Erin Hunter and Katja Kovavic defeated freshman Vanessa Heute and senior Pamela Castillejos, 8-3.

 

While NU dropped the doubles point, it entered singles play with some momentum as senior Ewelina Skaza and sophomore Imke Reimers won a close match at No. 1 doubles over Tara Browning and Lakann Wagley, 8-7 (7-3).

 

Nebraska fell further behind early in singles. Reimers, who was playing at the No. 2 slot with an injured ankle, fell to Duru, 6-3, 6-0, and Skaza dropped her match to Durhan, 6-4, 6-4.  The Huskers faced a 3-0 deficit following the two singles matches before rallying.

 

Team captain Pamela Castillejos showed her leadership by putting NU on the board with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Samantha van der Drift at the No. 5 spot. Schulz-Gartner used her aggressive play to take over the match at No. 3 and pulled out a three-set thriller, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, against Durham. Heute then won her fourth straight match at No. 6 singles to bring Nebraska even with the Raiders, 3-3. Heute bounced back from a 6-0 loss in the first set to take the next two sets, 7-5, 6-3.

 

With the match score tied, all eyes turned to Hartmann’s match with Browning at No. 1 singles. After dropping the first set, 6-3, Hartmann rallied to take the second set, 7-5. Hartmann then forced a tiebreaker in the third set but fell in a marathon match, 7-6 (6).

 

“We showed a lot of heart today,” Head Coach Scott Jacobson said.  “A close match like this was expected. We did a great job of battling back. In the Big 12, there is so much parity that you have to show up everyday."

 

The Huskers take the upcoming week off from competition and will return to the courts Wednesday, April 5, when they face No. 74 Kansas in a 2 p.m. match at the WoodsTennisCenter. The match with KU will mark NU’s seventh straight contest against a ranked team.

 

No. 65 Texas Tech 4, No. 49 Nebraska 3

 

Doubles

No. 1 Ewelina Skaza/Imke Reimers (NU) def. Tara Browning/Lakann Wagley (TTU), 8-7 (3)
No. 2 Janet Durham/Cigdem Duru (TTU) def. Milena Schulz-Gartner/Kim Hartmann (NU), 8-3
No. 3 Katja Kovacic/Erin Hunter (TTU) def. Pamela Castillejos/Vanessa Heute (NU), 8-3

Singles

No. 1 Browning (TTU) def. Hartmann (NU), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6)
No. 2 Duru (TTU) def. Reimers (NU), 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 Schulz-Gartner (NU) def. Durham (TTU), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 4 Wagley (TTU) def. Skaza (NU), 6-4, 6-4
No. 5 Castillejos (NU) def. Samantha van der Drift (TTU), 6-4, 6-1
No. 5 Heute (NU) def. Kovavic (TTU), 0-6, 7-5, 6-3