Huskers Host Pair of Ranked Big Ten Foes

The No. 50 Nebraska women’s tennis team is back in Lincoln for a weekend of competition, featuring matches with No. 3 Ohio State on Friday, April 3, and No. 46 Penn State on Sunday, April 5. The Huskers will battle the Buckeyes at 5 p.m. (CT) on Friday, and then face the Nittany Lions at 10 a.m. (CT) on Sunday. Both matches will be hosted at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center in Lincoln, Neb. 
 
NU (12-5, 5-3 Big Ten) comes off another undefeated weekend, defeating Purdue and Indiana on the road to bring the team’s win streak to five. 
 
Katie Spencer and Conley Raidt entered the national doubles rankings at No. 65 with a 3-1 record so far this season. Spencer and Raidt are the first ranked duo for the Big Red since 2024, when Raphaelle Lacasse and Maja Pietrowicz finished the season ranked No. 58. 
 
Maria Taranova continues to lead the Huskers in singles wins, tallying nine in the spring and five in the Big Ten. She also has tallied three ranked victories in Big Ten play, with wins over No. 69 Margot Phanthala, No. 109 Ellie Blackford and No. 70 Erika Matsuda. 
 
#3 Ohio State (14-3, 6-1 Big Ten)
History: Ohio State leads the all-time series 11-6. Last time out, the Buckeyes defeated NU, 4-1, in Lincoln. 
Ohio State comes to Lincoln after a weekend of sweeps over Rutgers and Maryland. Four ranked singles players highlight the rankings for the Buckeyes, including two in the top five in No. 4 Teah Chavez and No. 5 Luciana Perry. No. 75 Nao Nishino and No. 114 Audrey Spencer round out the singles rankings. OSU also has a quad of doubles pairs in the rankings led by Hephzibah Oluwadare/Chavez at No. 13. Flora Johnson/Perry (#53), Spencer/Nishino (#87) and Perry/Chavez (#89) cap off the rankings in doubles for the Buckeyes. 
 
#46 Penn State (12-6, 3-4 Big Ten)
History: NU leads the all-time series over the Nittany Lions at 7-6. Nebraska most recently swept Penn State in Lincoln in 2024. 
Penn State also comes into the match with wins over Maryland and Rutgers last weekend. The Nittany Lions have seen wins over No. 25 Yale and Old Dominion, who is now ranked No. 63. Penn State will face the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City prior to visiting the Huskers on Sunday.
 
Attendance and parking are free for fans, and concessions will be available. There will also be a raffle giveaway for a pair of AirPods Pro 3s, with the winner being announced between doubles and singles. Stay up to date with Nebraska Women’s Tennis by following social media channels (@HuskerWTennis) for spring updates and content.