Huskers Sweep Tigers in First Round of Big 12 Championships

Kansas City, Mo. - The Nebraska women's tennis team swept the Missouri Tigers, 4-0, on Thursday morning in the first round of the Big 12 Championships in Kansas City, Mo. The No. 8-seed Huskers advance to the second round and will take on No. 1-seed Baylor on Friday at 9 a.m. The Huskers picked up their 13th win of the season, improving their overall record to 13-8.

The Huskers only needed two doubles matches and three singles matches to decide the team score, as they won all five, giving the Huskers the win. The remaining doubles match and three singles matches weren't finished since the match had been decided.

Nebraska got off to a strong start, as the No. 1 doubles combination of Imke Reimers and Diana Kuhl made quick work of Missouri's Chrissy Svetlic and Raquel Wagner, 8-1. NU's Maria Ring and Wiveca Swarting, playing at the No. 2 position, gave the Huskers their second doubles match win and the doubles point after an 8-4 victory over Erika Josbena and Amanda Pratzel, 8-4.

The Huskers kept it rolling in the singles matches, quickly winning three matches in straight sets to clinch the Husker victory. Reimers, who was ranked No. 47 nationally in the latest singles rankings, improved her overall record to 17-4 this season, including her 11th win in the last 12 matches, after a 6-0, 6-1 win over MU's Pratzel.

Swarting, playing at the No. 3 position, gave NU its third point of the day after beating MU's Josbena, 6-1, 6-2. With the victory, Swarting has won eight of her last nine singles matches, and has an overall record of 14-7, second on the team to Reimers.

Finnegan, playing at the No. 6 position, finished the Husker sweep with a 6-0, 6-4 victory the Tigers' Charlotte Bellis. It was Finnegan's fourth straight singles victory.

The Huskers won their second straight first-round match in the Big 12 Championships, and their third in the last four years. Last year, the Huskers defeated Iowa State 4-0 in the first round and then beat Texas Tech 4-0 in the quarterfinals en route to their first ever appearance in the conference semifinals, where they would lose to eventual champion Baylor.

The Huskers hope to continue their success Friday against Baylor, the No. 1 seed in the Championships. The Huskers lost to Baylor in Lincoln 6-1 on March 1, although the match was competitive. Three of the six singles matches went three sets, and the Huskers won the No. 1 doubles match before losing other two. Baylor has a 19-6 record this season and a No. 15 ranking in the latest ITA polls.

Nebraska 4, Missouri 0
Doubles (order of finish: 1-2)
No 1. Imke Reimers/Diana Kuhl (NU) def. Chrissy Svetlic/Raquel Wagner (MU), 8-1
No 2. Maria Ring/Wiveca Swarting (NU) def. Erika Josbena/Amanda Pratzel (MU), 8-4
No 3. Marianne Cicmanec/Ashley Finnegan (NU) vs. Charlotte Bellis/Katelyn McKenzie (MU), DNF

Singles (order of finish: 1-3-6)
No 1. (#47) Imke Reimers (NU) def. Amanda Pratzel (MU), 6-0, 6-1
No 2. Diana Kuhl (NU) vs. Chrissy Svetlic (MU), DNF
No 3. Wiveca Swarting (NU) def. Erika Josbena (MU), 6-1, 6-2
No 4. Maria Ring (NU) vs. Raquel Wagner (MU), DNF
No 5. Marianne Cicmanec (NU) vs. Katelyn McKenzie (MU), DNF
No 6. Ashley Finnegan (NU) def. Charlotte Bellis (MU), 6-0, 6-4