Weatherholt Wins Singles Title at Midland Invitational

Midland, Texas - Nebraska freshman Mary Weatherholt of the women's tennis team took home the singles title at the Midland Invitational in Midland, Texas, on Sunday. Weatherholt won six matches in the tournament en route to the title, improving her singles record this fall to an impressive 12-1.

After three Huskers advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament on Saturday, including Weatherholt, freshman Madeleine Geibert and junior Wiveca Swarting, Weatherholt was the only Husker to advance to the semifinals, which took place on Sunday. Weatherholt easily beat Texas Tech's Samantha van der Drift, 6-1, 6-1, on Sunday morning to advance to the finals, where she would take on another Big 12 opponent, Texas A&M's Elze Potgieter. Playing in strong winds with gusts up to 25 mph, the two played all the way to a third set supertiebreaker, where Weatherholt came out on top, winning 6-7 (5), 6-3, (10-7), to win the title.

"She played a great final," NU Assistant Coach Hayden Perez said. "The wind was tough to handle. She stayed mentally tough and put pressure on Potgieter from start to finish."

Weatherholt defeated the nation's 120th-ranked player (Baylor's Karolina Filipiak) and the 74th-ranked player (Potgieter) on her way to her 6-0 record on the weekend.

The Huskers also had a team in the doubles final, as Swarting and Geibert advanced to the finals after winning three matches in the first two days of the tournament. The duo fell to Boise State's Vivian Silfany and Pichittra Thongdach, 8-5.

"It was a great tournament for them," Perez said. "In the final they started off strong, but the other team made some adjustments and came out on top. Give them credit for a great match. I was proud of our effort on the weekend as a whole."

The Huskers are in action again next weekend, as they travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the ITA Central Regional Tournament. The tournament starts on Thursday, Oct. 16, and will continue all through the weekend until Sunday, Oct. 19.

Results
Mary Weatherholt def. Samantha van der Drift (Texas Tech), 6-1, 6-1
Mary Weatherholt def. Elze Potgieter (Texas A&M), 6-7 (5), 6-3, (10-7)

Silfany/Thongdach (Boise State) def. Geibert/Swarting, 8-5