Huskers Open Big 12 Play Against Missouri

Match Information
Nebraska (2-1) vs. Drake Bulldogs (0-4)
Date - Friday, Feb. 2, 2007
Time - 4 p.m.
Location - Lincoln, Neb. (Nebraska Tennis Center)
Nebraska All-Time vs. Drake - 14-13
Last Meeting - Nebraska 5-2 (Feb. 5, 2006)

►Huskers Open Big 12 Play Against Tigers

Nebraska concludes a six-match homestand on Sunday as they take on their first Big 12 opponent of the season against Missouri. The Huskers, coming off a stretch where they played five games in 12 days, have a week between their last match against Colorado State and their match against Missouri, and then another 13 days off before they travel to Austin to take on Texas. Likewise, the Tigers have eight days off before they travel to Lincoln on the 11th.

►Scouting the Tigers

Missouri and Nebraska each will be playing their first Big 12 match of the 2007 season. The Tigers have only played two matches this season, compared to Nebraska’s five, sweeping Saint Louis 7-0 and losing to No. 52 Arkansas 1-6. The Tigers’ trip to Lincoln will be their final road match until March 16, when they begin a seven-match homestand

Head coach Blake Starkley will bring an experienced squad into the Nebraska Tennis Center, led by senior Amanda Pratzel. Pratzel, who arrived at Missouri following stints at Oklahoma and Missouri State, finished last spring season with a 15-6 record in singles matches and is 1-1 so far this season. Fellow senior Erika Josbena, who is 0-1 this season after sitting out the Tigers’ first match due to injury, will look to help Pratzel upset the No. 65 Huskers. Nebraska owns the all-time series between the two schools, winning 21 of 28 matches.

►Nebraska Falls to No. 65 in Latest Rankings

Nebraska fell to No. 65 in the latest ITA tennis rankings, released on Jan. 30, down from the No. 46 ranking they owned to start the season. The 4-1 Husker team’s only loss came at the hands of Wichita State, which went from being unranked to No. 62 in the latest rankings. The Shockers are 3-0 this season, including a 6-1 victory over another ranked Big 12 team, No. 54 Kansas State, on Feb. 3. The next rankings will be released on Feb. 6.

►Eight Huskers Named to Big Commissioner’s Honor Roll

The Nebraska women’s tennis team placed eight current and former team members on the latest Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll List, awarded to those who achieve at least a 3.0 grade-point average during the 2006 fall semester.

Junior Imke Reimers earned a 4.0 GPA, making her one of 33 Husker athletes to achieve the feat. Reimers has been named to the Honor Roll all five semesters that she has attended UNL, and was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2006.

Pamela Castillejos, who earned her degree last semester and finished her tennis career at Nebraska in 2006, was named to her third Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, while Ewelina Skaza, also a senior from last year’s team, was named to her fourth. Skaza, along with Reimers, was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2006.

Five other current team members were honored along with Reimers. Freshmen Diana Kuhl and Wiveca Swarting, sophomores Ashley Finnegan and Maria Ring and junior Maria Popova were also named to the Honor Roll. Nebraska had a total of 270 honorees through 23 sports, including 33 who had a 4.0 GPA.

►Huskers Edge Colorado State

The Nebraska women’s tennis team pulled out a 4-3 victory over the Colorado State Rams on Feb. 4 at the Nebraska Tennis Center, marking the closest decision the team has had in five matches this season. The Huskers improved to 4-1 on the campaign with the win, while Colorado State dropped to 1-2.

The Rams started the day off strong, winning two of three doubles matches to take the doubles point and leave the Huskers in a hole early. Only the freshmen duo of Diana Kuhl and Wiveca Swarting earned a doubles victory, defeating Laura Neal and Lauren Strasburger of Colorado State, 8-5, in the No. 2 slot. The win improved the Husker duo’s doubles record on the season to 4-1, including an 8-0 shutout against Drake’s No. 2 doubles team on Friday.

The Huskers faced some pressure situations in the singles matches, knowing they would have to win at least four out of the six matches to take the team victory over the Rams. The Huskers remained calm and collected as they reached their goal, winning four singles matches, all in straight sets.

Imke Reimers, who is ranked No. 30 in the nation in singles play, collected her fifth win of the season by defeating Strasburger 6-3, 6-1. The win improved Reimers’ record to 5-0 on the year and she now has won 12 of her last 13 singles matches during the spring season dating back to last year.

Marianne Cicmanec and Ashley Finnegan, playing in the Nos. 5 and 6 singles spots, respectively, had no problems in their matches. Cicmanec defeated Kirsten Stople, 6-1, 6-3, while Finnegan beat Rui Xu, 6-2, 6-2. Finnegan improved her singles record to 4-1 this season. Wiveca Swarting added a singles win in the No. 3 slot over Hilary Tyler, 6-0, 7-6 (5) to aid the Husker comeback.

►Huskers Cruise Past Bulldogs

The Nebraska women’s tennis team rebounded from their first loss of the season last week against Wichita State with a 6-1 victory over the Drake Bulldogs on Friday, Feb. 2, at the Nebraska Tennis Center.

"Our team has a lot of passion for one another," NU head coach Scott Jacobson said. "I’ve been getting more and more comfortable with the consistency of our team’s effort this season, and today was no exception."

The Huskers started off strong, winning two of the three doubles matches and taking home the doubles point.

"Getting the doubles point was big for us, and it gives us momentum going into the singles matches," Jacobson said.

Diana Kuhl and Wiveca Swarting certainly gained momentum from their doubles match, dominating it from start to finish. The freshmen duo made quick work of Omaha natives Kari Sloboth and Allison Wilkie, 8-0.

"Diana and I started off really well," Swarting said. "I approached the net a lot during the doubles match and worked a lot on volleying."

30th-ranked Imke Reimers took care of Drake’s Veronika Leszayova in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, in the No.1 singles position, improving her singles record to 4-0 on the season. The Huskers won five of the six singles matches all in straight sets. Needless to say, Jacobson was pleased with his team’s effort.

"We have consistency all the way down the line," Jacobson said. "From the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 doubles spots, and from all of the singles spots, too. We’ve made great strides individually this season."

►Reimers Dominating Early

Junior Imke Reimers has seemed to hit mid-season form already this season, as she has raced out of the gates to take her first five singles matches.

The Papenburg, Germany, native has carried momentum over from her fall 2006 season, when she went 11-3 in singles play, and the end of her spring 2006 season, when she won seven of her last eight matches. Overall, Reimers has won 23 of her last 27 singles matches. This season, she has only dropped one out of 11 sets and has won 59 of her 78 games.

►Jacobson Earns 200th Career Victory

Nebraska head coach Scott Jacobson earned his 200th career victory on Friday, Jan. 26, as his team beat Wyoming 6-1. "It’s just like any other win," Jacobson said. "I’m proud of our team and the way they persevered out there and came through in some pressure situations." Jacobson also celebrated his birthday on the same day.

After going 37-59 (.385) in his first five seasons as head coach, starting with the 1991-92 season, Jacobson has since gone 145-83 (.636), counting the 4-1 start to this season. He has led the Huskers to 10 straight winning seasons dating back to 1996-97. Before becoming head coach of the women’s team, Jacobson was an assistant on the NU men’s team from 1979 to 1989. Jacobson is the winningest and longest-serving Husker women’s tennis coach in team history.

►Reimers Ranked 30th in Latest ITA Rankings

NU junior Imke Reimers is ranked 30th in the nation on the ITA tennis singles rankings. The rating places her second among all Big 12 singles players, trailing only No. 21 Zuzana Zemenova of Baylor. In the fall season of the Huskers’ 2006-07 tennis campaign, Reimers posted an 11-3 record, including a singles championship at the ITA Central Regional Main Draw Championship on Oct. 22, 2006. Two of her three losses in the fall season were at the hands of top-25 players, according to the ITA rankings. She owns a 5-0 record so far in the 2007 spring season.

►Reimers Ranked Tops Among Central Region

In addition to her national honors, Imke Reimers is ranked No. 1 in the "Central Region" in the latest ITA rankings, released Dec. 8, 2006. The teams around the nation are split into eight separate regions. Several Big 12 teams are counted in the Central Region, including Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Husker freshman Diana Kuhl is ranked No. 26 on the list as well.

►Net Notes

? After beating Colorado State, the Huskers improved to 4-1, marking the 10th straight season in which they have won at least four of their first five matches.

? The Huskers missed a chance to start the season 3-0 for the seventh consecutive year after they dropped their match against Wichita State.

? Imke Reimers has won 23 of her last 27 singles matches, including the Spring 2006 and Fall 2006 seasons.

? Reimers has won 59 of 78 games in her five singles matches this season, dropping only one of 11 sets.

? The Huskers’ 6-1 loss to Wichita State was their worse loss since losing to then No. 45 UC Irvine 6-1, on March 15, 2006.

? The Huskers’ 6-1 win over Drake extended their winning streak over the Bulldogs to seven games and improved their all-time record against the Bulldogs to 15-13.

? The Huskers have only been pushed to three sets in four of their 30 singles matches this season.

? The 2006-07 Husker team contains no seniors, a first for the program since the 1998-99 season.

? Junior Imke Reimers is the squad’s only returning letterwinner.