Huskers Bounce Back to Down Creighton

Lincoln, Neb.,-- The Huskers picked up their first victory of the season with a 6-1 win over the Creighton Bluejays at the Dillon Tennis Center.

The afternoon started with a quick doubles win from the No. 1 team of Claire Reifeis and Hayley Haakenstad, who defeated Sarah Wilcox and Ashley Ishimura 6-2. Reifeis and Haakenstad moved to the No. 1 position after beating Air Force at No. 2 earlier in the day.

On the No. 3 doubles court was Marina Cozac and Jeannie Lozowski. In their debut as a doubles team, the duo got out to a fast start and never looked back in their win over Erin Epperson and Claire Embree 6-2.

Jessica Aragon and Vasanti Shinde played Gabby O’Connor and Michaela Henne in a tight No. 2 doubles match. Doubles competition concluded before they were able to complete their match, but the score was 4-3 in Creighton’s advantage.

Following a strong all-around doubles performance, the Huskers entered singles play with a 1-0 lead.

The first to chalk up a point for Nebraska was Hayley Haakenstad, who dominated at No. 5 singles. The junior  put together an impressive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Creighton’s Claire Embree, giving Nebraska a 2-0 lead.

After a hard fought No. 2 singles victory earlier in the day vs. Air Force, Claire Reifeis came out firing in her match at the No. 1 singles position. Reifeis defeated Creighton’s Ashley Ishimura 6-1, 6-4 to give the Huskers a 3-0 advantage.

With just one more singles victory needed to pick up the team win, the odds were in Nebraska’s favor at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4.

It was ultimately freshman Jessica Aragon who would clinch the Big Red’s first win of the season. Playing in only her second singles match as a Husker, Aragon calmly took care of business against Erin Epperson at the No. 4 singles spot, 6-3, 6-3.

Taking a 4-0 lead, Nebraska cemented its first win of the season.

Vasanti Shinde would defeat Sarah Wilcox 6-4, 6-2 at No. 2 singles. At No. 3, Marina Cozac beat Michaela Henne 6-2, 6-4, putting her at 2-0 on the season.

The last match to finish was the No. 6 singles competition between Jeannie Lozowski and Gabby O’Connor of Creighton. After dropping the first set 4-6, Lozowski came back strong to take the second set, 6-1. The match would come down to a 10-point tiebreaker, ultimately won by O’Connor, 10-6.

 

Results vs. Creighton:

 

Singles

1. Claire Reifeis (NEB) def. Ashley Ishimura (CU), 6-1, 6-4

2. Vasanti Shinde (NEB) def. Sarah Wilcox (CU), 6-4, 6-2

3. Marina Cozac (NEB) def. Michaela Henne (CU), 6-2, 6-4

4. Jessica Aragon (NEB) def. Erin Epperson (CU), 6-3, 6-3

5. Hayley Haakenstad (NEB) def. Claire Embree (CU), 6-1, 6-2

6. Gabby O’Connor (CU) def. Jeannie Lozowski (NEB), 6-4, 1-6, (6)

Doubles

1. Claire Reifeis/Hayley Haakenstad (NEB) def. Ashley Ishimura/Sarah Wilcox (CU), 6-2

2. Jessica Aragon/Vasanti Shinde (NEB) unfinished vs. Gabby O’Connor/Michaela Henne (CU)

3. Marina Cozac /Jeannie Lozowski (NEB) def. Erin Epperson/Claire Embree (CU), 6-2

Order of Finish: Doubles (1, 3, NF); Singles (5, 1, 4, 2, 3, 6)

 

Attendance: 72

 

Up Next:

Next weekend, the Huskers travel east to play Old Dominion and the winner of Duke and Gonzaga at Duke University in Durham, N.C