Huskers Head to Norman for Big 12 Championships

Nebraska vs. Texas Tech

Wednesday, April 22  |  10 a.m.  |  Norman, Okla.

 

Nebraska vs. TBD (Big 12 Championships)

 

Huskers Head to Norman for Big 12 Championships

The Nebraska women’s tennis team is preparing for its final week of the regular season, as it heads to Norman for a match against Texas Tech on Wednesday and the start of the Big 12 Championships on Thursday. Nebraska is coming off two big road wins last weekend, beating Missouri and Colorado to improve its Big 12 record to 6-4. With a win on Wednesday against Texas Tech, the Huskers have a chance to secure a fourth seed in the tournament, which would earn them a first-round bye. The last time Nebraska finished fourth or higher in the Big 12 regular season standings was in 2005, when NU went 9-2 to finish third in the conference.

 

First up for NU is a match against Texas Tech, which was originally scheduled to be played on March 23 in Lubbock, but was postponed due to weather. First serve for the match is at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. If Nebraska can defeat the Red Raiders and if Colorado loses to Baylor, who also square off on Wednesday in Norman, then NU will lock up the fourth seed and will get a bye on Thursday. If Nebraska loses or Colorado wins, then the Huskers will get the fifth seed and play 12th-seeded KansasState on Thursday in the first round.

 

Scouting the Red Raiders

The Texas Tech Red Raiders have locked up the seventh seed the Big 12 Championships, regardless of their result on Wednesday against Nebraska. Senior Samantha van der Drift leads the team with 20 singles wins on the year, including a 10-11 mark at No. 1 singles this spring. The doubles team of van der Drift and sophomore Kelsey Garland has a solid 12-8 record at No. 1 doubles, and their 13 doubles wins overall is tops on the team.

 

Four Huskers Named to Academic All-Big 12 Team

Four Husker women’s tennis players were honored as Academic All-Big 12 recipients last week, including three first-team selections. Seniors Marianne Cicmanec and Ashley Finnegan and junior Wiveca Swarting earned first-team honors, while sophomore Stephanie Evans earned a second-team nomination.

 

First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 GPA or better throughout the year, while the second-team is those who have a GPA of 3.00-3.19. The honor was the first for both Cicmanec and Finnegan, while Swarting picked up her second-straight first-team nomination. Evans also picked up her first nomination.

 

A total of 59 student-athletes from the men’s and women’s Big 12 tennis teams were named to the Academic All-Big 12 team.

 

Net Notes

??? The Huskers reached double-digit wins for the 13th straight season and have assured themselves of a winning season for the 13th straight season.

??? Nebraska reached double-digit home wins for the fifth time in six seasons. The Huskers finished the year with an 11-2 home record.

??? Freshman Mary Weatherholt’s 34 singles wins this year are an NU single-season record, surpassing Sandra Noetzel’s 30 wins during her 1998-99 campaign. Junior Wiveca Swarting is tied for second with Noetzel in the single-season wins list with 30.