Nebraska Opens Season at ITA Kick-Off Weekend

No. 39 Nebraska (0-0) vs. No. 24 Arkansas (1-0)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 28, 2011
Location: Evanston, Ill.
Venue: Combe Tennis Center
Host School: Northwestern University
Start time: 3 p.m.

No. 39 Nebraska (0-0) vs. No. 12 Northwestern (1-0)/No. 57 Dartmouth (0-1)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 29, 2011
Location: Evanston, Ill.
Venue: Combe Tennis Center
Host School: Northwestern University
Start time: TBA

Evanston, Ill.-The Nebraska women's tennis team will begin the 2012 spring season this weekend at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The No. 39 Huskers will compete at the Northwestern University host site in Evanston, Ill. NU will begin the weekend on Saturday, taking on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 3 p.m. No. 12 Northwestern and No. 57 Dartmouth will play earlier in the day at 11 a.m.

The schedule of play at the Northwestern host site is as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 28 - 11 a.m. (Northwestern vs. Dartmouth)
Saturday, Jan. 28 - 2 p.m. (Nebraska vs. Arkansas)
Sunday, Jan. 29 - 10 a.m. (Consolation)
Sunday, Jan. 29 - 2 p.m. (Championship)

This is the second year the Huskers have competed in the Kick-Off Weekend; last season, NU defeated Boise State 5-2 in their opening match before falling to Northwestern in the championship by a score of 7-0.

Kick-Off Weekend Features Top Teams
The ITA Kick-Off Weekend takes place on Jan. 27-30 and features 60 Division I women's teams from around the nation. The tournament has 15 playing sites, selected based on a program's final rank in the 2011 Campbell/ITA team rankings. Three additional schools travel to each host site to compete in a four-team tournament. The winter of each site (15 total) will advance to the prestigious ITA National Team Indoor Champions on Feb. 10-13 in Virginia..

For more information on the ITA Kick-Off Weekend and Northwestern site details, fans can visit the ITA official website by following the link at the top of the page..

Nebraska Ranked in Latest Polls
The Huskers were awarded a preseason rank of No. 39 in the ITA Division I Women's Tennis Rankings and held steady at that position in Jan. 24 poll. The Huskers came in third among Big Ten teams, trailing only Michigan (No. 10) and Northwestern (No. 12).

Additionally, four Husker athletes found themselves ranked in the preseason singles and doubles rankings. Redshirt junior Mary Weatherholt led Nebraska in the singles rankings, coming in at No. 50 overall. Junior Janine Weinreich is No. 84 nationally, and junior Stefanie Weinstein is No. 100. Weinstein and senior Madeleine Geibert are ranked No. 53 nationally in doubles.

Tracking the Rankings
Date                 Rank
Jan. 3               #39
Jan. 24             #39

Scouting the Arkansas Razorbacks
Head Coach: Michael Hegarty
2012 Record: 1-0
National Ranking: No. 24
The Arkansas Razorbacks are 1-0 on the season after defeating Louisville last week, 6-1. Arkansas captured the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions before wrapping up their win in singles action.
Arkansas posted an 18-10 record overall last season that included an NCAA tournament record of 1-1. The Razorbacks returned four letterwinners and lose three from their 2011 squad. Nebraska is 2-2 all-time against the Razorbacks.

Scouting the Northwestern Wildcats
Head Coach: Claire Pollard
2012 Record: 1-0
National Ranking: No. 12
The Northwestern Wildcats knocked off No.15 Vanderbilt by a score of 5-2 in their season opener, setting them at 1-0 so far this season. Northwestern is led on the court by the doubles team of Linda Abu Muschrefova and Nida Hamilton, ranked No. 6 nationally. Northwestern's Kate Turvy is currently No. 26 in singles, while Brittany Wowchuck is No. 86 overall.
The Wildcats are looking for their third ITA National Team Indoor Championship in four years as they compete this weekend. Northwestern last won the tournament in 2009 and 2010. Nebraska is 0-2 all-time against the Wildcats.

Scouting the Dartmouth Big Green
Head Coach: Bob Dallis
2012 Record: 0-1
National Ranking: No. 57
The Dartmouth Big Green started their 2011 campaign with a defeat at the hands of No. 45 Boston College, 6-1. The Big Green's lone point on the day came at the No. 1 singles position, where Dartmouth's Sarah Leonard won by default. Dartmouth also captured a victory at the No. 3 doubles position.
The Big Green finished 2011 as Ivy League champions, posting a 14-8 record overall.

Looking Ahead
The Nebraska women's tennis team will return home next weekend to play the first two of 13 consecutive home matches. NU will face Wyoming on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 11 a.m. before facing Eastern Michigan at 4:30 p.m. the same day. Both matches will be held at the Nebraska Tennis Center in Lincoln.