Huskers Win Seven on First Day at ITA Regional

Lawrence, Kan. – The Nebraska women’s tennis team netted seven wins in the first day of action at the ITA Central Regional Championships Thursday.

Leading the Huskers with two wins each were sophomore Hayley Haakenstad and junior Vasanti Shinde, who brought the Huskers two singles wins and a doubles victory as they paired up to defeat Minnesota’s Mehvish Safdar and Barbara Mancera, 8-3. The duo will advance to play Janet Koch and Maria Toran Ribes of Kansas on Friday at 9 a.m. 

Haakenstad continued to dominate later in singles play with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Bradley’s Victoria Gonzalez. Haakenstad advances to face No. 13 seed Caroline Ryba from Minnesota on Friday at 10 a.m.

Shinde captured her singles victory with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 decision over Joely Lomas of Drake. Shinde will take on No. 2 seed Vladica Babic of Oklahoma State on Friday at noon.

Sophomore Jeannie Lozowski brought in another singles win for the Huskers with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Drake's Summer Brills. The victory moved Lozowski on to play Kansas State's Anna Turco on Friday at 10 a.m.

Sophomore Claire Reifeis gave the Huskers a fourth singles win with her thrilling 6-4, 7-5 victory over Carla Martorell from Kansas. Reifeis will face Jacqueline Carr from Arkansas on Friday morning.

Sophomore M’Balia Bangoura advanced to play Nina Khmelnitckaia of Kansas on Friday, following Bangoura's 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win over Wichita State’s Alexandra Lazarova.

Junior Paula Del Cueto Castillo triumphed over Minnesota’s Camila Vargas 6-2, 6-2 to give the Big Red a sixth singles victory on Thursday. Castillo will play Tulsa’s Tamara Kupkova Friday at 10 a.m.

After falling to Kansas State's Margot Decker 6-1, 6-0, Husker senior Katerina Matysova will compete in consolation singles Friday at 3:30 p.m. against Amber Policare from Kansas. Junior Marina Cozac and freshman Emily Rees will also compete in consolation singles Friday after losses against South Dakota’s Jana Lazarevic, 7-6, 6-1 and Bradley’s Malini Wijesinghe, 6-2, 6-3.

Play will continue on Friday with two rounds of singles play and a round of 32 in doubles action. Daily match recaps and results will be available on Huskers.com following the completion of play each day.

Visit admin.kuathletics.com/signingday/tennis/wten/18/ for periodic match results and live streams of the tennis matches.

Results

Singles

Jeannie Lozowski (NEB)  def. Summer Brills (Drake), 1-6, 6-1, 6-4

Claire Reifeis (NEB) def. Carla Martorell (KAN), 6-4, 7-5

Margot Decker (KSU) def. Katerina Matysova (NEB), 6-1, 6-0

Jana Lazarevic (USD) def. Marina Cozac (NEB), 7-6, 6-1

M’Balia Bangoura (NEB) def. Alexandra Lazarova (WSU), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4

Paula Del Cueto Castillo (NEB) def. Camila Vargas (MINN), 6-2, 6-2

Malini Wijesinghe (Bradley) def. Emily Rees (NEB), 6-2, 6-3

Hayley Haakenstad (NEB) def. Victoria Gonzalez (Bradley), 6-3, 6-2

Vasanti Shinde (NEB) def. Joely Lomas (Drake), 6-2, 3-6, 6-4

Doubles

Ladutska/Ball (UMKC) def. Castillo/Reifeis (NEB), 8-6

Costamagna/Linares (KSU) def. Bangoura/Rees (NEB), 8-2

Shinde/Haakenstad (NEB) def. Safdar/Mancera (MINN), 8-3

Poppe/Kupkova (Tulsa) def. Lozowski/Matysova (NEB), 8-0