Huskers Defeat Injury-Plagued Wildcats

Manhattan, Kan. - The Nebraska women's tennis team won its sixth match in seven tries with a 5-2 victory over Kansas State, who was forced to compete with only five players due to injuries. The Huskers improved to 12-6 with the win, including 4-5 in Big 12 play.

 

The Wildcats had two of its seven players sit out with injuries for the match, forcing them to forfeit the No. 3 doubles point and also the No. 6 singles point. As a result the No. 3 doubles tandem of Marianne Cicmanec and Ashley Finnegan got the win by default, and Finnegan, playing in the No. 6 singles position, also won her singles match by default. The Wildcats could never quite dig themselves out of the early hole.

 

The Huskers took care of business in the Nos. 1 and 2 doubles spots. Imke Reimers and Diana Kuhl outlasted Viviana Yrureta and Katerina Kudlackova, 9-7 for their seventh straight doubles victory at the No. 1 position, and Maria Ring and Wiveca Swarting beat Tamar Kvaratskhelia and Natasha Vieira, 8-6. Even without the default win at the No. 3 doubles position, the Huskers still would have won the doubles point.

 

In singles play, Reimers bounced back from her first loss in her last nine matches on Friday, as she took care of Yrureta, 6-2, 6-1. Reimers improved her singles record to 15-4, and is looking to improve on her No. 52 national ranking when the new ITA polls come out on Tuesday.

 

At the No. 2 singles position, Kuhl saw her seven match winning streak snapped as she lost to KSU's Kvaratskhelia, 7-5, 6-2. Kuhl moved to 12-7 on the year in singles play, and to 6-4 in Big 12 play.

 

Swarting won her match in straight sets at the No. 3 position over Kudlackova, 6-3, 6-2. It was the freshman's sixth victory in her last seven matches, and Cicmanec won her second straight match at the No. 5 position, beating Tereza Prochazkova, 7-5, 6-2.

 

The No. 4 singles position was the last to be finished on the day, and was tight all the way through. NU's Ring and KSU's Vieira split the first two sets, and because the team results had already been decided, the two played a third set super-tiebreaker, which Vieira won. The final tally was 5-7, 7-6 (9-7), 1-0 (10-5).

 

The Huskers have one more regular season match remaining, at Colorado on April 22. They still are set to finish the match with Texas Tech, which currently sits at a 3-3 tie. The doubles matches weren't played when the team traveled to Lubbock on March 25 due to inclement weather, so the teams will be forced to finish the doubles matches on April 25, in Kansas City, Mo.

 

Nebraska 5, Kansas State 2

Doubles

No 1. Imke Reimers/Diana Kuhl (NU) def. Viviana Yrureta/Katerina Kudlackova (KSU), 9-7

No 2. Maria Ring/Wivica Swarting (NU) def. Tamar Kvaratskhelia/Natasha Vieira (KSU), 8-6

No 3. Ashley Finnegan/Marianne Cicmanec (NU) won by default

 

Singles

No 1. Imke Reimers (NU) def. Viviana Yrureta (KSU), 6-2, 6-1

No 2. Tamar Kvaratskhelia (KSU) def. Diana Kuhl (NU), 7-5, 6-3

No 3. Wiveca Swarting (NU) def. Katka Kudlackova (KSU), 6-3, 6-2

No 4. Natasha Vieira (KSU) def. Maria Ring (NU), 5-7, 7-6(9-7), 1-0(10-5)

No 5. Marianne Cicmanec (NU) def. Tereza Prochazkova (KSU), 7-5, 6-2

No 6. Ashley Finnegan (NU) won by default