Huskers Face Michigan in NCAA Tourney

Lincoln - The No. 41 Nebraska women’s tennis team travels to South Bend, Ind., to take on No. 29 Michigan for the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, May 12, at 9 a.m.  The Huskers, who own a 17-9 record, received an at-large bid for the second straight season on Wednesday, May 3.

 

The Huskers are coming off a historic run in the Big 12 Championships, advancing to the semifinals for the first time in school history.  NU, which received the fifth seed, began the Championships facing IowaState.  The match marked the second time in six days the teams met on the court. 

 

On April 27,  Nebraska shot out of the gates quickly, taking the doubles point.  Senior Pamela Castillejos and sophomore Imke Reimers wasted little time getting NU on track, defeating Jill Palen and Eve Soriano, 8-1, at No. 1, marking the first time the two Huskers played together in doubles since March 15.

 

Senior Milena Schulz-Gartner and freshman Kim Hartmann clinched the doubles point for the Big Red when they defeated Beth Chermel and Kara Hicky, 8-4.  The win was their 17th doubles victory, which tiesdReimers and senior Ewelina Skaza’s mark for fifth most doubles victories in single-season school history.

 

Schulz-Gartner carried that momentum over to the singles court and rolled over Caitlin Loprinzi, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 3.  Castillejos posted her 17th singles victory of the season dominating Chrissy Derouin, 6-0, 6-3, at No. 5.  Shortly after, Hartmann clinched the win for the Huskers by posting their fourth point of the match.  Hartmann made quick work of Palen at No. 1, 6-1, 6-2.

 

With the win, the Huskers faced Texas Tech on Friday, April 3.  The Big Red was looking to bounce back from an emotional 4-3 loss to the Red Raiders on March 26.  Predictions of inclimate weather forced teams to change the traditional playing order and start with singles.  Reimers had a rematch with Cigdem Duru, who defeated Reimers 6-3, 6-0, earlier in the season.  This time, the sophomore from Germany did not give up a single game and blanked Duru at No. 2, 6-0, 6-0.  Reimers’ 6-0, 6-0 win marked the fourth shutout victory of her career, and her third this season. 

 

No. 94 Hartmann faced Tara Browning at No. 1.  The last time the two met, their match decided the team outcome on March 26, with Browning topping Hartmann in a marathon 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6), match.  Hartmann, who had won six of her last seven matches, cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory to give Nebraska a 2-0 lead.  Schulz-Gartner rolled over Janet Durham in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 3, and Castillejos clinched the win for the Huskers with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Erin Hunter at No. 5.

 

NU advanced to the semifinals of the Big 12 Championships for the first time in school history, where it faced the No. 1 seed Baylor Bears, who were ranked No. 5 nationally.

 

Baylor defeated Nebraska, 6-1, on March 4 in Waco, Texas, with the Huskers’ only point coming from Castillejos’ three-set thriller victory over Iva Mihaylova, 5-7, 6-4, 11-9.

 

The Bears jumped out to an early lead, taking the doubles point at the Championships.  Zuzana Zemenova and Zuzana Krchanakova defeated freshman Vanessa Heute and sophomore Ellinor Zugner at No. 3, 8-2, while No. 44 Zuzana Cerna and Klara Zrustova pulled out a close 8-6 victory over Reimers and Castillejos at No. 1 to clinch the doubles point.

 

BU entered singles play with a 1-0 advantage and never looked back.

 

Krchnakova got Baylor’s singles started one the right track, beating Zugner, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 6, while No. 15 Cerna, who was the 2005 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, topped Reimers, 6-1, 6-4, at No. 2. 

 

At No. 3, Daniela Covello rolled an ankle and was forced to retire, giving Schulz-Gartner the Huskers’ only win of the match.

No. 5 Zemenova, who was later named the Big 12 Player of the Year for the second straight season, topped Hartmann in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, to clinch a 4-1 victory for the Bears.  Baylor went on to capture its second straight Big 12 Title.

 

On Monday, May 1, the Big 12 office released its yearly honors.  Hartmann was named the Big 12 conference Freshman of the Year according to a vote of the league’s head coaches.  She is the third Husker to earn the award as the conference’s top freshman and the first Husker honoree since Lisa Hart, the current coach of WashingtonState, earned the honor in 1995.  Annie Yang also won the award for NU following the 1994 campaign.

 

Hartmann was also named first-team All-Big 12 and was one of two freshman to earn that honor on the women’s side.  She is the fourth Husker to earn All-Big 12 status in singles play and only the second freshman, joining Sandra Noetzal (1997-2000).  With the award, a Nebraska athlete has earned All-Big 12 honors for the fourth-straight year.  Gitte Ostermann, who ranks fourth on NU’s career singles in chart and fourth in career combined wins, was NU’s last first-team selection, as she was a first-team honoree from 2003-05.

 

Hartmann is the Huskers’ No. 1 singles player and has posted 22 victories this season, which ranks second on the team and is just three wins shy of cracking the school’s top five on the season singles chart.  She went 15-9 in the spring and was 8-3 in the conference, which ranked No. 2 in the conference at the No. 1 spot.  She is 5-6 against ranked teams and defeated then-No. 28 Anca Anastasiu, the highest ranked player NU has defeated since Ostermann defeated No. 22 Nataly Cahana of Old Dominion in 2003.

 

The freshman from Germany started the season ranked No. 36 nationally, the highest preseason ranking ever for a Husker freshman in school history, and has been ranked in six of the national rankings released this season.

A Look at the Big 12 Conference

Baylor swept the Big 12 regular season and Championships en route to their second straight conference title.  The Bears finished the year 11-0 in the conference and posted a conference-best 22-5 record and is the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.  Texas A&M finished second in the conference standings, topping Texas for the No. 2 spot behind the Aggies’ 6-1 victory over the Longhorns in the regular season.  Texas, which is ranked No. 18, finished the season third in conference and owns a 17-11 overall record.  The Longhorns fell to the Bears in the finals of the Big 12 Championships.

 

Nebraska ended the season with the second-best overall record in the conference, going 17-9 with a .654 winning percentage.  NU edged out Texas Tech, who finished fourth in the conference, in the quarterfinals before falling to Baylor.

 

The Big 12 has four teams in the NCAA Tournament, Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Nebraska.  Because Baylor is the No. 5 overall seed, it plays host to the first and second round of its regional.

A Look at the Notre Dame Regional

Nebraska travels to South Bend, Ind., for the Notre Dame Regional of the NCAA Tournament.  Notre Dame, ranked No. 2 nationally, is the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament and owns a 24-1 record, after defeating No. 8 North Carolina, No. 18 Texas and No. 32 Texas A&M.  The Huskers join No. 29 Michigan and Valparaiso in the regional. 

 

The Big Red faces the Wolverines in the first round of the tournament.  The match will mark the first meeting in history between the two schools.  Michigan is peaking at the right time of the season, having won seven of its last eight matches.  UM is 6-8 against ranked teams, including defeats of No. 33 Maryland and No. 42 Indiana.  The Wolverines and Huskers have faced two common opponents in No. 31 Iowa and OhioState.  Michigan, having faced Iowa twice, owns a 2-1 record against Iowa and OhioState while NU is 1-1. 

 

UM has a young squad, with only two seniors out of eight players. Its No. 1 doubles tandem of Kara Delicata and Debra Streifler is ranked No. 34 nationally and is 13-6 on the season but has struggled as of late, having lost its last four matches.  The Wolverines also have a strong Nos. 2 and 3 doubles teams, with their No. 2 team of Allie Shafner and Chisako Sugiyama owning 14-4 record and a seven-match winning streak.  Their No. 3 squad of Lindsey Howard and Nina Yaftali is 18-7 and owns a six-match winning streak.

 

UM’s singles play has struggled near the top of the lineup.  Delicata, Michigan’s No. 1 singles player, is 5-20 this season and is on a seven-match losing streak, and UM’s No. 3 player Yaftali is 10-16.  The Huskers hope to have an edge near the top of the lineup with Hartmann and Reimers owning 22 and 24 wins, respectively. 

 

The match to keep an eye on will be at the No. 5 spot.  Sugiyama owns a 14-2 record at that spot and is 26-10 on the season.  She is on a 10-match winning streak and will most likely face Castillejos.  Castillejos has been one of NU’s more consistent players this season and has won four of her last five completed matches.

 

Michigan advanced to the finals of the Big Ten Tournament, defeating No. 31 Iowa along the way.  The Wolverines saw their seven-match winning streak snapped when they faced No. 9 Northwestern in the conference finals, as the Wildcats defeated UM, 4-2.

UM’s at-large bid marks its fifth straight bid and its eighth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament.  It is 6-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and has advanced to the second round of the tournament two of the last three years.

 

The winner of the NU-UM match faces the winner of the Notre Dame-Valparaiso match.  Notre Dame looks to have the edge over the Mid-Continent conference champion.  The second round match will be played at noon on Saturday, May 13.

A Quick Look at the Probable Husker Lineup

4No. 1 singles - Kim Hartmann (22-11): Hartmann started the season ranked No. 36 nationally,  the highest national ranking for a freshman in school history.  She 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 re-entered the national rankings on April 18, and is now ranked No. 97.  Hartmann was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and is only the third Husker to receive the honor.  She was also named to the first-team All-Big 12 squad.  She is the fourth player in school history to be named to the singles squad and only the second freshman.

 

4No. 2 singles - Imke Reimers (24-9): Reimers has posted 18 wins in NU’s 26 matches during spring play.   As a result, Reimers moved up in the rankings for three straight weeks and was as high as 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.  Reimers posted her fourth career 6-0, 6-0 victory as she defeated Cigdem Duru of Texas Tech on April 28 in the Big 12 Championships semifinals.  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 six of her last seven matches and owns a team-high 24 wins.  She was named first-team academic All-Big 12 and was one of three players to post a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

 

4No. 3 singles -  Milena Schulz-Gartner (15-11): 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 is 10-4.  Schulz-Gartner’s win over TAMU’s Anna Blagodarova clinched the Husker upset over the Aggies.  She ranks No. 4 on NU’s career doubles win chart with 49 victories.  Schulz-Gartner was named first-team academic All-Big 12 for the second straight year.  She was one of four Huskers to be named to the first team.

 

4No. 4 singles - Vanessa Heute (17-11):  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.  After the move, Heute went 8-0.  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.  Her five conference victories at the No. 6 spot ranks third in the conference at that slot.  During the last weekend of regular-season play, Jacobson moved Heute up to No. 5, where she extended her win streak to 10 matches, going 2-0 at No. 5.  Heute moved up to the No. 4 spot in the lineup during the Big 12 Championships but did not complete a match.

 

4No. 5 singles - Pamela Castillejos (18-7): 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 this 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  moved up to the No. 4 spot, where she played six of the last nine matches.  Due to Huete's recent success, Castillejos moved back down to the No. 5 spot where she has felt most comfortable the past two seasons.  During the Big 12 Championships, Castillejos posted a spotless, 2-0 record in three matches.  She has posted a 15-1 record at No. 5 this season.  Castillejos was named second-team academic All-Big 12 for the third consecutive season.

 

4No. 6 singles - Ewelina Skaza (11-12): Skaza recorded more than 40 combined victories in her first year as a Husker.  Skaza struggled at the beginning of the 2006 spring season 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 five of her last six matches, including an emotional loss to Olga Klimova, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3, on Senior Day.  Skaza has won five of her last eight doubles matches with Reimers at the No. 1 spot in doubles.  The senior from Poland was named first-team academic All-Big 12 for the first time in her career.