Huskers Head North to Compete in the Minnesota Invitational

Huskers Head North to Compete in the Minnesota Invitational

The Nebraska women’s tennis team heads north to compete in the Minnesota Invitational, the first fall tournament for NU this season.  The tournament features nine teams, including Iowa, Gonzaga and Missouri.  The tournament consists of four singles brackets and two doubles draws. Six new players are scheduled to make their debuts as Head Coach Scott Jacobson announced last week that all seven players would see action.

The Huskers are coming off of back-to-back seasons with at least 17 wins and at-large berths in the NCAA Tournament.  In 2006, the Huskers finished with a No. 43 national ranking and eight wins over ranked teams, the most in school history.  The senior class led NU to a 17-10 recrod and an all-time best 21 conference victories over a four-year stretch.  Kim Hartmann was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year.  She was the third Husker to earn the award as the conference’s top freshman in the last 12 years. 

The Big Red was also recognized for its academic success, including garnering the Herman Award, which is awarded to the NU men’s and women’s team that achieves the highest team grade-point average for the academic year.  The women’s tennis team boasted an athletic department high 3.607 GPA on a 4.0 scale.              

Imke Reimers Looks to Build Off Breakout Sophomore Season

Jacobson dubbed junior Imke Reimers, Nebraska’s only returning player, one of the most talented true freshman he has ever recruited, and she has lived up to the billing as one of NU’s top players.  As a freshman she played primarily at the No. 2 slot in the lineup, posting 16-singles wins and 17 doubles wins with Milena Schulz-Gartner, which ranks fifth on NU’s single season doubles win chart.

She got off to a shaky start in the fall of her sophomore season before she went on a four-match winning streak to end the season, taking the ITA Central Regional Consolation Championship. She began the spring at No. 3, but after surrendering only one game in three matches, she moved up to No. 2 where she flourished throughout the season.  On Feb. 11, her first match at No. 2, Reimers upset then-No. 38 Ela Kaluder of Arkansas in straight sets to mark Reimers’ first career victory over a ranked opponent.  The win propelled Reimers into the national rankings for the first time in her career, earning a No. 100 ranking.

Reimers continued to cruise, taking three straight-matches in three days, including defeating then-No. 120 Katy Williams of Long BeachState.  The wins moved Reimers up to No. 88, which proved to be her highest ranking of the season.  She finished the season strongly by taking seven of her last eight completed matches, including a win over Elizabeth Exon of Michigan in the NCAA Tournament.  Her 25 wins tied Ostermann for fifth all-time on NU’s singles season win chart.

Big Red Welcomes Six Newcomers to the Squad

After losing seven players, the Huskers welcome six new faces, including freshman Wiveca Swarting, sophomores Marianne Cicmanec, Ashley Finnegan and Maria Ring and junior Maria Popova.  Not all of the newcomers are without college experience as Ring, played with WashingtonState in 2005-06 and Finnegan with the College of Charleston 2005-06.

Ring posted 16 singles wins with the Cougars, playing anywhere from No. 3 to No. 6.  She has a history of starting the season fast, winning seven of 10 matches to start her career.  Ring also took 16 doubles wins, playing mostly at the No. 1 slot, including upsetting then-No. 4 Kady Pooler and Roxanne Clarke of ArizonaState.

At CoC, Finnegan posted 11 singles wins, going 5-1 at No. 3, as well as 12 doubles wins, with nine coming at the No. 2 doubles slot.  She helped the Cougars to a 12-11 overall record and finished third in the Southern Conference, advancing to the semifinals of the conference Championships.