Huskers Erase 3-0 Deficit to Defeat Minnesota

Lincoln - The Nebraska women's tennis team rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at the Nebraska Tennis Center. The Huskers moved to 4-0 on the season and defeated their second ranked opponent of the weekend.

The Huskers lost the doubles point after they were only able to take one of the three matches. Wiveca Swarting and Janine Weinreich earned an 8-4 victory at the No. 2 spot, but it wasn't enough as the Golden Gophers took the other two matches.

Minnesota stretched the lead to 2-0 after Tijana Koprivica won in straight sets at the No. 2 spot. That match would be the only one decided in two sets, as the other five singles matches all went the full three sets.

The Golden Gophers went up 3-0 after Mariana Spilca's three-set victory at the No. 6 spot, but Mary Weatherholt got Huskers on the board shortly after with a win at No. 1 singles. Swarting came on top in the third set of her No. 3 singles match, narrowing the Minnesota lead to 3-2. The remaining two matches went down the the wire, with the Huskers needing to take both of them in order to secure the team victory.

Nebraska's Janine Weinreich, playing in her first match as a Husker after elibility rules forced her to sit out NU's first three duals, won 7-5 in the third set of her No. 5 singles match, deadlocking the match at 3-3. That left the No. 4 singles match as the last remaining and deciding match of the day, and it was a closely contested battle between NU's Jennifer Holmberg and MU's Jackie Sperling. The match went into a third-set tiebreaker, which Holmberg won by a 7-2 score, capping the Nebraska comeback.

The Huskers wrapped up their first week of competition with a perfect 4-0 record. They two matches next weekend, including a Feb. 5 contest against Arkansas-Little Rock and a Feb. 7 match against Wyoming. Both matches will be played at the Nebraska Tennis Center as part of NU's 14-match homestand to start the season.

Nebraska 4, Minnesota 3
Doubles
No. 1 Ferrazzi/Palen (Minn) def. Geibert/Weatherholt, 8-4
No. 2 Holmberg/Swarting (NU) def. Koprivica/Sperling, 8-4
No. 3 Muravnik/Spilca (Minn) def. Buxton/Holmberg, 8-2

Singles
No. 1 Mary Weatherholt (NU) def. Alessandra Ferrazzi, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2
No. 2 Tijana Koprivica (Minn) def. Madeleine Geibert, 6-1, 6-0
No. 3 Wiveca Swarting (NU) def. Alexa Palen, 6-2, 1-6, 6-2
No. 4 Jennifer Holmberg (NU) def. Jackie Sperling, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (2)
No. 5 Janine Weinreich (NU) def. Doron Muravnik, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
No. 6 Mariana Spilca (Minn) def. Abby Buxton, 2-6, 6-1, 6-0