Huskers Set To Play First Road Matches

Match Information
Nebraska (5-1) vs. Texas Longhorns (4-2)

Date - Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007

Time - 10 a.m.
Location - Austin, Texas
Nebraska All-Time vs. Texas - 0-9
Last Meeting - Texas 6-1 (Feb. 11, 2006)

Nebraska (5-1) vs. Texas A&M Aggies (8-1)
Date - Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007
Time - 1 p.m.
Location - College Station, Texas
Nebraska All-Time vs. Texas A&M - 3-8
Last Meeting - Nebraska 5-2 (April 9, 2006)

►Huskers Set To Play First Road Matches

After opening the spring season with six consecutive home matches, Nebraska will hit the road this weekend to play their first two away matches of the season, at Texas and at Texas A&M.

The Huskers went 5-1 in their opening homestand, including beating Big 12 opponent Missouri, 6-1. Their lone loss was to No. 50. Wichita State, which is currently 7-0 this season.

The Huskers are currently enjoying a 13-day break in between matches, after starting out the season with six matches in 19 days. The Huskers’ last match was against Missouri on Feb. 11.

►Scouting the Longhorns

No. 22 Texas has been victimized by a tough schedule in the past week, as they lost at No. 4 Florida, 5-2, and at No. 9 Miami, 4-3. After hosting the No. 66 Huskers on Feb. 24, the Longhorns will travel to play four consecutive top-10 opponents?No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 7 California and No. 8 USC.

Texas started the season winning their first four matches, including two Big 12 matches and wins over two top-50 opponents, before they started their toughest stretch of the season.

Head coach Patty Fendick-McCain leads a team featuring four freshmen on its eight-player roster, including three of their top six singles players. The Longhorns feature two players in the latest ITA singles rankings. Freshman Vanja Corovic is ranked No. 86 and sophomore Courtney Zauft is ranked No. 93. The Huskers will look to record their first win in school history against the Longhorns, as they are currently 0-9 all-time.

►Scouting the Aggies

Head coach Bobby Kleinecke and No. 27 Texas A&M boast an impressive 8-1 record on the season so far, with their lone loss coming to No. 16 Georgia. The Aggies will be playing their third Big 12 opponent of the season, after beating Iowa State and Missouri earlier this season. The Aggies have won six in a row since their loss to the Bulldogs.

Texas A&M features two top-60 players in the latest ITA singles rankings?freshman Elze Potgieter (No. 32) and senior Anna Lubinsky (No. 57). Lubinsky is 5-2 and Potgieter is 8-0 on the season in singles matches.

The match with the Huskers will be A&M’s last home match before taking on four straight ranked non-conference road opponents, including a March 2 meeting with No. 2 Notre Dame.

►Huskers at No. 66 in Latest Rankings

After not playing a match last week, Nebraska dropped two places in the latest ITA rankings, settling in at No. 66. The 5-1 Huskers have been ranked in the mid-60’s for the past four weeks after starting the season at No. 46.

NU’s next three opponents each are ranked in the top 30. Nebraska will travel to No. 21 Texas and No. 27 Texas A&M before hosting No. 13 Baylor.

Wichita State, the only team to defeat the Huskers this year, is ranked No. 50. Other ranked Big 12 teams include No. 42 Oklahoma State, No. 47 Colorado, No. 53 Texas Tech and No. 65 Kansas State.

Imke Reimers, previously ranked No. 30 nationally among singles players, dropped out of the top 100 in the new rankings released on Feb. 21. Reimers if 6-0 on the year in singles matches, and 4-2 in doubles.

►Eight Huskers Named to Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

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

Junior Imke Reimers earned a 4.0 GPA, making her one of 33 Husker student-athletes to post a perfect GPA. Reimers has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in all five of her semesters at Nebraska. She was also a first-team academic All-Big 12 selection in 2006.

Pamela Castillejos, who earned her degree in December 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 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Nebraska had a total of 270 honorees across 23 sports, including 33 who had a 4.0 GPA.

►Reimers Dominating Early

Junior Imke Reimers appears to be in mid-season form, as she has raced out of the gates to take her first six singles matches.

The Papenburg, Germany, native has carried momentum from the fall 2006 season. She finished the fall campaign with an 11-3 singles record after winning seven of her final eight matches during the 2006 spring season. Overall, Reimers has won 24 of her last 28 singles matches. This season, she has only dropped one of 13 sets and has won 71 of her 96 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 146-83 (.638), counting the 5-1 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 women’s tennis coach in Husker history.

►Reimers Ranked No. 1 In 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 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 they have won at least four of their first five matches.

? Imke Reimers has won 24 of her last 28 singles matches, including the spring 2006 and fall 2006 seasons.

? Reimers has won 71 of 96 games in her six singles matches this season, dropping only one of 13 sets.

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

? The Huskers have only been pushed to three sets in five of their 36 singles matches this season.

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

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