Huskers Host Rams, Bluejays

No. 26 Nebraska (6-1) vs.  Colorado State (2-3)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Venue: Nebraska Tennis Center
Start time: Noon

No. 26 Nebraska (6-1) vs.  Creighton (3-3)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Venue: Nebraska Tennis Center
Start time: 3:30 p.m.

The Nebraska women’s tennis team is preparing to host a pair of duals this weekend at the Nebraska Tennis Center. The No. 26 Huskers (6-1) will face the Colorado State Rams (2-3) on Saturday and in-state rival Creighton (3-3) on Sunday. NU will return to home play after capturing a 4-3 win over No. 61 Wichita State on Feb. 16 in Kansas. The Huskers are 13-0 all-time against the Rams and 25-0 all-time against the Bluejays.

Nebraska Achieves Record Ranking
Nebraska leapt five spots to No. 26 in the latest ITA Tennis Rankings released Tuesday. This marks the highest ranking any team has achieved in program history. The previous record was No. 30, set in 2005.

This week is the sixth consecutive week this season in which NU is ranked. The Huskers are third among Big 12 teams, only resting behind Baylor (No. 7) and Oklahoma (No. 22).

Tracking the Rankings
Date                 Rank
Jan. 4               #34
Jan. 25             #34
Feb. 3               #33
Feb. 8               #32
Feb. 14             #31
Feb. 22             #26

Scouting the Colorado State Rams
The Rams come to Lincoln with a 2-3 record so far this season. The Rams are fresh off a 5-2 loss to Bowling Green in Colorado Springs. The Rams have been led by senior Caitlin Fluegge, who takes the court at the No. 1 position in both singles and doubles play. Freshman Kaley Schulz has also been a bright spot for the Rams, posting an overall record of 6-4 so far on the season.

The Rams are led by Head Coach Jon Messick, who is in his 21st season as head coach of the Rams.

Scouting the Creighton Bluejays
In-state rival Creighton will travel to Lincoln with a season record of 3-3 thus far. The Bluejays come to the Nebraska Tennis Center after a 4-3 loss to Arkansas-Little Rock on Feb. 23. Both the Huskers and Creighton have faced Wichita State this season; the Huskers edged the Shockers, 4-3, while the Bluejays were swept, 7-0.

The Bluejays are coached by Tom Lilly, who is in his 13th season as the head coach of both the men’s and women’s programs at Creighton.

Huskers Top Shockers
The Nebraska women’s tennis team ground out a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Wichita State Shockers on Feb. 16 at the Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex in Wichita, Kan. The dual marked NU’s first outdoor action of the year, and was played over the course of seven hours due to limited court availability.

The Huskers were powered by two close wins in doubles action, which helped secure their victory over the Shockers After dropping the No. 3 doubles match, Nebraska bounced back to capture wins at both the No. 1 and No. 2 spots and take a 1-0 lead over Wichita State.

Singles play kicked off with the No. 3 and No. 4 matches. Although Frederike Putthoff was defeated at the No. 4 position, Stefanie Weinstein snagged a win at No. 3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.  No. 1 and No. 2 singles came next, where Madeleine Geibert won 6-2, 2-0 after her opponent retired from injury. Patricia Veresova then fell at the No. 1 spot, putting Huskers at a 3-2 advantage overall. No. 5 and 6 singles were final to take the court, and Janine Weinreich fell in the No. 5 match, 7-6 (4), 6-4. With the outcome of the dual resting on the No. 6 singles outcome, Jennifer Holmberg prevailed, earning a 6-1, 6-3 victory to give the Huskers the win.

Follow the Huskers with Live Stats
Live stats will be available for both of Nebraska's matches this weekend on Huskers.com. Click on the link at the top of the page to follow the action.