Photo Credit: Nebraska Athletics
Photo Credit: Nebraska Athletics
No. 44 Nebraska women’s tennis (10-1) fell to No. 4 Michigan (7-3) in their first Big Ten matchup of the season at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center in Lincoln on Friday, March 7. The Wolverines came into Lincoln with a 28-straight Big Ten regular-season match win streak.
High tensions formed around the match today, from the start of doubles play through singles play the Huskers fought for every point throughout the match.
“They’re a great team,” head coach German Dalmagro said post-match. “We respect them and kind of like at the same time trying not to overly respect them that we don’t believe that you can win it.
“I think we had some good opportunities in doubles and singles and I thought that we couldn’t quite get over the hump, you know, and executing some opportunities that we had but they did a good job of just hanging in there a little bit longer.”
Doubles play started this match off. Tiziana Rossini/Emma Rizetto (NEB) dropped their match to No. 48 Julia Fliegner/Reese Miller (MICH) (4-6) on Court Two. On Court One, Ana Zamburek/Reya Lee Coe (NEB) lost to No. 27 Piper Charney/Jessica Bernales (MICH) (3-6). Michigan went 2-0 in the doubles matches which declared the match between Maria Taranova/Natalia Trigosso (NEB) and Ana Bruno/Lily Jones (MICH) unfinished and the doubles point was awarded to the Wolverines, the Huskers trailed 0-1.
The match continued with singles play. On Court Four, Coe (NEB) lost to Bernales (MICH) in straight sets (2-6, 0-6). Yuzu Miyoshi (NEB) dropped her match against Bayley Sheinin (MICH) in two sets (2-6, 1-6) on Court Six. On Court One, Zamburek (NEB) fell to No. 2 ranked Fliegner (MICH) in straight sets (3-6, 5-7).
After the conclusion of that match, the rest of the singles matches were suspended and the overall match was concluded.
Sophomore Maria Taranova was the only Husker to take a match from the Wolverines in singles play.
“Personally, I’m more like hyped for these matches,” Taranova said. “I can prove it, I can play in this good, high level and be a good tennis player and I would say everybody does have the same mentality.”
The Huskers gave up the doubles point and Michigan got three out of the six singles points. Nebraska ended the match trailing Michigan, 0-4.
“This team was like number three or four in the country,” Taranova said. “So it put pressure in the beginning for all of us and we started doubles like kind of like not that quite confident as we usually start and the singles is the same way and that was when we played like we realized that we can play them.”
This is only the second-ranked team the Huskers have faced so far in this season and it happened to be a top-five team in collegiate women’s tennis. But looking into their future schedule in the Big Ten they could face up to 10 ranked teams in conference play alone.
“We’re excited for those opportunities,” Dalmagro said. “I think it’s the reason we work hard and the reason we kind of work here, you know, because we want to be one of those teams.
“Hopefully, we can keep believing in ourselves and we keep putting in the work and all you can do is control what you can control. So we’re trying to do the best of that and then see if we can win a few of those and then all you can do is just put yourself in that situation, work hard, and give yourself a chance and then see if you can do it.”
Nebraska continues Big Ten play with a match against Michigan State on Sunday, March 9 at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center.
sports@dailynebraskan.com
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