Huskers Edge Sooners

Lincoln - The Nebraska women's tennis team defeated the Oklahoma Sooners, 4-3, on Saturday, in a thriller that wasn't decided until the final set. With the win, the Huskers extend their winning streak to four matches, and move to 10-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big 12.

The Sooners started off strong, taking the No. 3 doubles match, but the Huskers quickly evened it by winning the No. 1 doubles match. The doubles point was going to be decided at the No. 2 position, which was back and forth the whole way. Sophomore Maria Ring and freshman Wiveca Swarting eventually triumphed over Oklahoma's Christi Baxley and Monica Purice, 9-8 (1), giving the Huskers the doubles point and the early 1-0 lead. Ring and Swarting earned their sixth straight doubles victory with the win.

Oklahoma tied the match at 1-1, after Baxley defeated NU's Ring at the No. 4 singles position, 6-0, 6-1. But the Huskers stormed back to take singles matches at the Nos. 1 and 2 positions.

Junior Imke Reimers, ranked No. 52 in the nation, won her seventh straight match, defeating OU's Baker in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 1. Freshman Diana Kuhl won her fifth straight singles match, and seventh of eight overall, after beating Purice 6-2, 6-3, at the No. 2 position.

The Huskers had a 3-1 lead and needed to win only one of the remaining three singles matches to secure the victory. But the Sooners wouldn't go down without a fight as they tied the match at 3 after winning at the Nos. 5 and 6 singles positions, leaving only one match remaining to decide the team score.

At No. 3 singles, NU freshman Wiveca Swarting and OU senior Irina Lykina split the first two sets before Swarting found herself down 3-0 and then 4-1 in the third and final set, and it appeared as if momentum had swung in Oklahoma's favor. But Swarting fought back, and in front of her family who traveled from Sweden to watch her play for the first time this season, won five straight games to take the set 6-4, and gave the Huskers the victory.

"Wiveca showed tremendous composure to rattle off five straight games after being down 1-4 in the third with everything on the line," NU head coach Scott Jacobson said. "She was real consistent, and kept believing in herself, and that was the difference in the match.

"It was a great match against a team very similar in ability to us. I'm proud of our whole team."

The Huskers are now 8-2 at home, and with two home matches remaining, have a chance to win at least 10 home matches for the fourth straight season. They play again on Easter Sunday, against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, at 10 a.m. at the Nebraska Tennis Center.

Nebraska 4, Oklahoma 3

Doubles (order of finish: 3-1-2)

No. 1 Reimers/Kuhl (NU) def. Baker/Lykina (OU), 8-6

No. 2 Ring/Swarting (NU) def. Baxley/Purice (OU), 9-8 (1)

No. 3 Cox/Orr (OU) def. Cicmanec/Finnegan (NU), 8-5

 

Singles (order of finish: 4-1-3-6-5-3)

No. 1 (#52) Imke Reimers (NU) def. Gabby Baker (OU), 6-4, 6-1

No. 2 Diana Kuhl (NU) def. Monica Purice (OU), 6-2, 6-3

No. 3 Wiveca Swarting (NU) def. Irina Lykina (OU), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4

No. 4 Christi Baxley (OU) def. Maria Ring (NU), 6-0, 6-1

No. 5 Chelsea Orr (OU) def. Marianne Cicmanec (NU), 4-6, 6-4, 6-0

No. 6 Anne Carter (OU) def. Ashley Finnegan (NU), 6-4, 6-1