Kansas Defeats No. 36 Nebraska, 4-3
| Kansas 4, No. 36 Nebraska 3 Nebraska Tennis Center Jan. 31, 2014 |
| Doubles |
| No. 1 – Maggy Lehmicke/Mary Hanna (Nebraska) def. Paulina Los/Dylan Windom (Kansas) 6-4 |
| No. 2 – Maria Jose Cardona/Maria Belen Ludueña (Kansas) def. Maike Zeppernicke/Izabella Zgierska (Nebraska) 6-2 |
| No. 3 – Claire Dreyer and Morgan Barnhill (Kansas) def. Lisa Andersson/Hannah Sulz (Nebraska) 7-6 |
| Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3 |
| Singles |
| No. 1 – No. 63 Maggy Lehmicke (Nebraska) def. Maria Jose Cardona (Kansas) 6-1, 6-4 |
| No. 2 – Izabella Zgierska (Nebraska) def. Maria Belen Ludueña (Kansas) 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8) |
| No. 3 – Dylan Windom (Kansas) def. Mary Hanna (Nebraska) 6-3, 7-6 |
| No. 4 – Claire Dreyer (Kansas) def. Maike Zeppernick (Nebraska) 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8) |
| No. 5 – Paulina Los (Kansas) def. Lisa Andersson (Nebraska) 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 |
| No. 6 – Hannah Sulz (Nebraska) def. Anastasija Trubica (Kansas) 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (13-11) |
| Order of Finish: 1, 3, 5, 2, 4, 6 |
LINCOLN, Neb. — To open its 2014 dual slate, Kansas women’s tennis defeated No. 36 Nebraska, 4-3, at the Nebraska Tennis Center, Friday. The win marks the third time in ten years that the program has defeated a top-50 ranked team.
Previously, Kansas (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) defeated No. 46 New Mexico on March 9, 2008 and No. 48 Oklahoma on March 18, 2005. The win extends Kansas’ series lead over Nebraska (1-3, 0-0 Big Ten) to 23-14.
“We are excited to go on the road and beat the No. 36 team in the country in our first match of the year,” said head coach Todd Chapman. “I was really proud of our fight today. I think what was most impressive was that it was the biggest win Kansas women’s tennis has had in a long time and I had a group of girls who were disappointed in how we didn’t win the match, 6-1. That shows me more than anything where we’re coming from. All in all it was a great day and a great way to start the season.”
Kansas jumped out in front of Nebraska first, winning the doubles competition 2-1. Sophomore Maria Jose Cardona and junior Maria Belen Ludueña topped Maike Zeppernick and Izabella Zgierska, 6-2. The duo of senior Claire Dreyer and freshman Morgan Barnhill fought for a 7-6 win over Lisa Andersson and Hannah Sulz. On the first court, seniors Paulina Los and Dylan Windom fell, 6-4, to Maggy Lehmicke and Mary Hanna.
“In doubles we jumped out to a great start on all three courts,” said Chapman. “We had a really hard time finishing matches off. I felt fortunate that we got the doubles point in the end. It may not have been pretty, but we found a way and that’s the important thing.”
After earning the doubles point, the Jayhawks moved on to the singles competition. First, No. 63 Lehmicke defeated Cardona, 6-1, 6-4, to tie the competition, 1-1. Windom pulled the Jayhawks back ahead as she downed Hanna, 6-3, 7-6 to pull the Jayhawks to a 2-1 lead. To extend Kansas’ advantage to 3-1, Los defeated Andersson, 7-6, 6-3. The Huskers pulled out an additional win over the Jayhawks from Zgierska, who defeated Ludueñain a super tiebreaker, 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8). But while the Huskers notched another win, so did the Jayhawks. Dreyer beat Zeppernick in a tough-fought match that concluded with a super tie breaker (6-2, 4-6, 1-0(10-8) and the Jayhawks led the Huskers 4-2. Nebraska put up a final fight, as Sulz defeated sophomore Anastasija Trubica, 3-7, 5-7, 1-0 (13-11), but it wasn’t enough. The Jayhawks overcame the ranked Huskers, 4-3.
“I thought Dylan Windom and Paulina Los had great senior leadership today,” said Chapman. “They really went out and set the tone in singles. They won their first sets and did a really great job in finishing their matches off without extending it to a super tiebreaker. I also felt like Claire Dreyer and Anastasija Trubica did a great job going out and winning their first sets. All in all, I thought we played very, very hard.”
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks will continue their double-header weekend at home against Liberty in the Jayhawk Tennis Center, Feb. 2. The match marks the first home match of the season for Kansas. Liberty is 3-0, including a 6-1 win over West Virginia. The Lady Flames will meet the Jayhawks after a match against No. 55 Kansas State on Feb. 1.
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