Huskers Prepare for Final Big 12 Championship

First Round
No. 41 Nebraska (19-6, 7-4 Big 12) vs. Colorado (3-17, 0-10 Big 12)
Date: Thursday, April 28, 2011
Location: Waco, Texas
Venue: Baylor Tennis Center
Start time: 1:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals
Date: Friday, April 29, 2011
Start time: 3 p.m.

Semifinals
Date: Saturday, April 30, 2011
Start time: 3 p.m.

Finals
Date: Sunday, May 1, 2011
Start time: 1 p.m.

The Nebraska women's tennis team will travel to Waco, Texas this week to compete in their final Big 12 Championships. The Huskers (19-6, 7-4 Big 12) earned a fifth-place regular season finish this season, giving them the No. 5 seed in the tournament this year. Nebraska will face No. 12-seeded Colorado (3-17, 0-10 Big 12) in the first round on Thursday. The winner of the dual will move on to play No. 4-seeded Texas A&M on Friday at 3 p.m.

Huskers Lead Conference with Six Academic All-Big 12 Selections
The Big 12 Conference named 45 women's tennis players to the Academic All-Big 12 teams this week. Nebraska had six overall Academic All-Big 12 selections this season, including five first-team honorees. NU and Iowa State led the conference on the women's side. First-team selections for Nebraska were Abby Buxton, Janine Weinreich, Stefanie Weinstein and Patricia Veresova. Madeleine Geibert was the lone second-team selection for NU.

First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA. To qualify, a student-athlete must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contest. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

2011 Academic All-Big 12
First Team
Abby Buxton, Sr. (Marketing/Economics)
Jennifer Holmberg, Jr. (Business Administration)
Janine Weinreich, So. (International Business/Marketing)
Stefanie Weinstein, So. (Business Administration)
Patricia Veresova, So. (Business Administration)
Second Team
Madeleine Geibert, Jr. (Biological Sciences)

Nebraska Slides Down Rankings
NU slipped another three spots in the latest ITA Division I Women's Tennis Rankings, putting them at the No. 41 position. The Huskers won two matches against unranked opponents this week, defeating Colorado and Iowa State. This marks the 14th consecutive week that the Huskers have been ranked. Nebraska spent the entirety of their regular season in the rankings.

Nebraska rounds out the regular season at fifth among Big 12 teams in the rankings. The Huskers appear behind Baylor (No. 7), Oklahoma (No. 22), Texas (No. 25) and Texas A&M (No. 30). A total of eight Big 12 teams earned spots in the ITA rankings.

Tracking the Rankings
Date                 Rank
Jan. 4               #34
Jan. 25             #34
Feb. 3               #33
Feb. 8               #32
Feb. 14             #31
Feb. 22             #26
March 1            #36
March 8            #32
March 15           #29
March 22           #41
March 29           #41
April 5               #38
April 12             #34
April 19             #38
April 26             #41

Geibert and Weinstein Remain in Doubles Rankings
Madeleine Geibert and Stefanie Weinstein remain in the ITA Division I Women's Doubles Rankings, holding a position of No. 81 this week. Geibert and Weinstein were ranked No. 69 overall last week, but did not see any action on the courts as a pair against Colorado or Iowa State. The duo has compiled an overall record of 15-6 in No. 1 doubles this season.

Geibert/Weinstein's Ranking
Date                 Rank
March 1            #76
March 15           #71
April 12             #85
April 19             #69
April 26             #81

Scouting the Colorado Buffaloes
The Huskers faced Colorado in the regular season on April 20 in Boulder. NU swept CU 7-0 in that meeting and will look to replicate their effort this week in Waco.

Colorado is currently 3-17 overall on the season, logging wins over Air Force, Metro State and New Mexico. The Buffaloes are led in singles by freshman Kristina Schleich, who has accumulated eight dual match singles victories. Freshman Winde Janssens has three Big 12 singles wins, all at the No. 4 position.

Head Coach Nicole Kenneally is in her 12th year at the helm of Colorado. She is the second all-time winngest coach in Colorado women's tennis history, with 126 victories.