Huskers Hit the Road for Final Road Stretch Run

The Nebraska women’s tennis team travels to the SoonerState to take on the Oklahoma Sooners Saturday, April 15, at 11 a.m. in Norman, Okla., and the No. 47 Oklahoma State Cowgirls Sunday, April 16, at 11 a.m. in Stillwater, Okla.

The Huskers are coming off of a stretch that included eight straight ranked opponents, including then-No. 20 Long Beach Sate, then-No. 41 Texas A&M and then-No. 43 Colorado.  NU came out of that stretch in good shape taking five of those matches, including upsetting then-No. 41 Texas A&M. 

On Wednesday, April 5, then-No. 62 Kansas came to Lincoln on a six-match winning streak.  The Jayhawks were 2-6 against ranked teams but had just  upset then-No. 57 LSU, 4-3.  The match was the first match for NU in 10 days.

The Huskers shot out of the gates quickly, wasting little time taking the doubles point.  At No. 1 senior Ewelina Skaza and sophomore Imke Reimers faced KU’s most productive doubles duo of Ksenia Bukina and Elizabeth Avdeeva.  Avdeeva and Bukina had won seven of their last eight matches and owned 15 wins at that spot.  The duo proved to be no match for Reimers and Skaza.  NU clinched the doubles point when senior Milena Schulz-Gartner and freshman Kim Hartmann topped Lauren Hommell and Edina Horavath, 8-4, at the No. 2 spot.

The Big Red kept the pressure on KU by taking an early 3-1 lead after Pamela Castillejos and freshman Vanessa Heute won their matches in straight sets.  Heute, who played at the No. 6  spot, pulled out a close first set win over Stephanie Smith, 6-4, and never looked back.  Heute did not surrender a game in the second set, blanking Smith, 6-0.  Castillejos battled through nagging wrist and shoulder injuries to take her 10th straight victory at the No. 5 spot, beating Hommell, 6-4, 6-4.

The Jayhawks would not go down easily, though.  Avdeeva defeated Reimers in straight sets at No. 2, 6-4, 7-5, and Christine Skoda pulled out a win over Schulz-Gartner at No. 3, 7-6 (4), 6-1, to tie the score at 3-3. 

The Huskers needed one more win to clinch a victory and they found it at No. 1 singles.  Hartmann jumped out to a quick lead, taking the first set, 6-2.  Bukina, who is ranked No. 107, rallied to take the second set, 6-1.  With the match score tied, Hartmann turned in a 6-3 victory in the third set to give Nebraska the win.  Hartmann’s win snapped a three-match losing streak for the freshman from Germany.

“I think the 10 day break in action was good for us,” coach Scott Jacobson said.  “We came back fresh and played with passion.”

On Sunday, April 9, the Huskers faced then-No. 41 Texas A&M.  TAMU came into the match as one of the hottest teams in the conference.  The Aggies were on a five-match winning streak defeating four ranked teams, including upsetting then-No. 15 Texas.

Nebraska jumped out to an early lead, taking the crucial doubles point.  At No. 3, freshman Vanessa Heute and senior Castillejos topped Anna Blagodarova, 8-4, and senior Schulz-Gartner and freshman Kim Hartmann upset No. 25 Anna Lubinsky and Nicki Mechem, 8-5, at No. 2.  Schulz-Garter and Hartmann’s win marks the first ranked duo the two have beaten.

The Huskers continued to put pressure on the Aggies in singles play by taking the first set of all six singles matches.  Heute made quick work of Maria Druss at No. 6, 6-4, 6-4, and sophomore Imke Reimers defeateed Sarah Foster, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 2.

The Big Red needed only one more win to clinch the upset with four matches still playing.  Schulz-Gartner took an early lead at No. 3, winning the first set, 7-5, but fell in the second set, 6-1.  The senior set the tone early in the third set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead, before slamming the door on TAMU’s Blagodarova, 6-3, to clinch the win for the Huskers.

Hartmann gave the Huskers their fifth point on the day.  The freshman showed resiliency at the No. 1 spot, pulling out a three-set thriller to upset No. 50 Lubinsky, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.  The win over Lubinsky marks Hartmann’s second straight win over a ranked player and the fifth of her career.

With the win, the Huskers improved to 13-6 overall and 4-3 in the conference, and handed the Aggies their first conference loss of the season.

“The win is a reflection of how great we can be,” Jacobson said.  “It is really a big step in the right direction toward achieving our goal of returning to the NCAA Tournament.  I am really proud of how our kids played.”

As a result of the two wins, Nebraska moved up seven spots in the ITA National Rankings released Tuesday, to No. 42.

A Look at the Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners have a young squad, with no seniors on their roster.  OU is ninth in the conference, with a 2-6 record and a 8-12 overall record.  It is one of three teams to have a sub-.500 overall winning percentage.  They have fallen in six of their last eight matches.

Oklahoma and Nebraska have faced six common opponents.  Against those six, OU has posted a 1-5 record, while NU is 4-2.  Both teams fell to No. 5 Baylor and No. 17 Texas, but  Nebraska defeated Colorado, Texas A&M and Kansas.  The Sooners are 0-12 against ranked teams this season, which could bode well for No. 42 Nebraska.

Sophomore Gabby Baker is Oklahoma’s No. 1 singles player.  Baker, who is ranked No. 113 nationally, is on a five-match winning streak and is 2-8 against ranked players, with her two wins coming within the last two weeks, defeating No. 107 Ksenia Bukina and No. 50 Anna Lubinsky.  Baker missed the 2005 season after tearing an ACL, but as a freshman in 2004, won at the No. 3 Big 12 championship.

Baker also competes mostly at No. 1 doubles for OU with sophomore Chelsea Orr.  The duo is 7-7 on the season.  To begin the year, Baker and Irina Lykina upset the No. 7 duo in the nation, Sara Anundsen and Jenna Long of North Carolina.

The Sooners are led by coach Mark Johnson.  Johnson is in his 18th year and owns a 284-148 career record.

Husker-Sooner History

Oklahoma owns a 20-7 all-time record against Nebraska.  The two last met on March 5, 2005.  Then-No. 38 Nebraska cruised to a 5-2 win over then-No. 40 Oklahoma at the WoodsTennisCenter.

The Huskers swept the Sooners in doubles play, winning all three matches.  At No. 3, Ellinor Zugner and Milena Schulz-Gartner recorded their second-career win together defeating OU’s Christy Beth Griffen and Christi Baxley, 8-6.

Gitte Ostermann, who was ranked No. 18 in singles play, dominated Irina Lykina in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, to give Ostermann her 11th win on the year.  Pamela Castillejos remained undefeated at the No. 5 slot, defeated Christy Greenly, 7-6 (3), 6-1.

The Huskers improved to 12-2 on the season, while OU fell to 7-4.

A Look at the Cowgirls                    

Oklahoma State is currently on a five-match winning streak and is ranked No. 47, its highest position of the season.  The Cowgirls have a young squad, with only one senior on the team.  OSU is 11-7 on the year and is 5-3 in the conference.  It has faced 12 ranked teams this year and has posted five wins, including defeating No. 50 Colorado and No. 56 Denver.

Sophomore Iryna Tkachenko is OSU’s No. 1 singles player.  She is currently unranked but has been as high as No. 58.  As a freshman, she was named All-Big 12 and was invited to the NCAA Singles Tournament, where she was eliminated in the first round.  She has struggled at times this year, starting the fall with a four-match losing streak and has not won more than two in a row this season.  Tkachenko is likely to face Hartmann who has also failed to record more than two straight victories since Feb. 11, when she started the season on a five-match winning streak.  It should be a match to keep an eye on.

Zana Masnic and Yawna Allen started the season as the Cowgirls’ No. 2 doubles pair, before moving up recently to No. 1, and the move has paid off.  Masnic and Allen have won four of their last six doubles matches.  Allen and Masnic will likely face Reimers and Skaza who are also hot, winning five of their last six matches.

OSU is led by coach Julius Lubicz-Majewski.  He is in his 18th year at OSU and owns a 238-158 career record.

Husker-Cowgirl History

Oklahoma State has dominated the series with the Big Red, leading the all-time series 24-3, with two of NU’s wins coming in the last two years.  The teams last met on April 3, 2005, in Lincoln on senior day.  The Huskers said goodbye to Gitte Ostermann and Katie Garcia by sending them off in style, defeating OSU, 4-3.

The Huskers began the day by taking an early lead.  At No. 2 doubles, Ewelina Skaza and Imke Reimers dominated Jessica Collins and Sandra Blajer, 8-1, to improve their record to 14-3 on the year.  Skaza and Reimers went on to post 17 wins, which ranks No. 5 on NU’s single season doubles wins chart.  Pamela Castillejos and Ellinor Zugner clinched the doubles point by pulling out a close victory over Lauren Simmons and Jennifer Poskitt, 8-6.

Castillejos made quick work of Collins at the No. 4 spot, defeating her in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.  Reimers and Zugner later clinched victory for the Huskers as she defeated Zana Masnic, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2, and Zugner won a three-set thriller over Sandra Blajer, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

Nebraska improved to 15-2 on the year, and 12-1 at home, while OSU fell to 5-11.

Ellinor Zugner recorded her third career-win by dominating Stephanie Smith at the No. 6 slot, 6-2, 6-3, and Castillejos capped the day off with a three-set thriller over Filberth, 6-2, 6-7, 1-0 (3).

A Quick Look at the Probable Husker Lineup

4No. 1 singles - Kim Hartmann (17-9): 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, six of Hartmann’s seven losses have come at the hands of three top-40 players: No. 23 Aurelija Miseviciute, No. 8 Zuzana Zemenova and No. 33 Meg Racette.  Hartmann completed the conference homestand by defeating two ranked players in No. 107 Ksenia Bukina of Kansas and No. 50 Anna Lubinsky of Texas A&M.

4No. 2 singles - Imke Reimers (19-8): Reimers has posted 12 wins in NU’s 16 matches during spring play.   As a result, Reimers has moved up in the rankings for three straight weeks and is now ranked No. 88 nationally, her second-highest 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.  Reimers showed composure in her three-set win over No. 120 Katy Williams of Long BeachState.  The win over Kaluder marked Reimers’ first career victory over a ranked player.  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.   Reimers has won four of her last six matches and owns a team high 19 wins.

4No. 3 singles -  Milena Schulz-Gartner (10-9): 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 ColoradoState’s Jessica Jones, 6-0, 6-3. On March 11, coach Jacobson put Schulz-Gartner near the top of the singles lineup.  With Schulz-Gartner at No. 3, the senior has won five of seven matches.  Schulz-Gartner’s win over TAMU’s Anna Blagodarova clinched the Husker upset over the Aggies.

4No. 4 singles - Pamela Castillejos (14-5): The senior is in her final season as a Husker and is the team captain after returning as Nebraska’s most productive player.  In 2005, she set the school’s best single-season winning percentage (.880) as she posted a 22-3 record.  Castillejos won eight of nine matches to start the spring with her only loss coming in a three-set thriller against Texas’ Kelly Baritot, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.  Castillejos posted the team’s only point with a 5-7, 6-4, 11-9 victory over Iva Mihaylova of Baylor.  Castillejos is undefeated at the No. 5 spot this season since Feb. 13, owning a nine-match winning streak at that slot. With her success, she has recently moved up to the No. 4 spot, where she has played four of her last seven matches. 

4No. 5 singles - Ewelina Skaza (10-9): Skaza recorded more than 40 combined victories in her first year as a Husker.  Skaza struggled at the beginning of the spring due to an illness and a slight abdominal injury, but after recovering won four out of five matches at the No. 6 slot.  She has played as high as No. 4 in the lineup, but is struggling now after falling in her last three matches.  Skaza has won five of her last six doubles matches with Reimers at the No. 1 spot in doubles.

4No. 6 singles - Vanessa Heute (13-11):  Heute saw her first action at the ITA Regionals, where she rolled through the qualifying tournament with two victories, including a defeat of KU’s Brittany Brown, to advance to the Main Draw of the tournament.  Heute is beginning to find her stride this spring since being moved down to the No. 6 spot after starting the season at No. 2.  Since the move, Heute is on a six-match winning streak.  Heute’s record is deceiving as she has been a victim of several three-set matches and has faced two nationally ranked players.  She has lost four of five three-set matches this spring.  With two victories last week, Heute has a winning percentage above .500 for the first time since March 4.

About the Huskers ...

4Nebraska has produced nine straight winning seasons, including 2006.

4The Big Red’s 69 match home non-conference winning streak was snapped by No. 40 Iowa.

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

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

4Hartmann’s victory over No. 28 Anca Anastasiu came against the highest ranked player NU has beaten since Gitte Ostermann defeated then-No. 22 Nataly Cahana of Old Dominion in 2003.

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 No. 42 national ranking is the highest NU ranking since March 14.

4Nebraska 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
4Hartmann’s regional ranking, No. 9, is believed to be the highest regional ranking for a freshman in school history.

4With 194 wins in 15 years, Head Coach Scott Jacobson is Nebraska’s winningest and longest serving coach in school history.

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

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

4With the Huskers’ win over Colorado, Jacobson became NU’s first coach to reach 190 wins.

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

4Sophomore Imke Reimers received her first career national ranking on Feb. 22. 
4Reimers holds a team-high 19 wins.

4No. 41 Texas A&M was the 12th ranked team NU has faced this season.

4NU has faced eight straight ranked teams.

4Nebraska is 6-6 against ranked teams this season, and 4-3 at home.