Huskers Fall to Fighting Illini, 4-0

Minneapolis, Minn. - The Nebraska women's tennis team closed out Big Ten Tournament action with a tough 4-0 loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday at the Baseline Tennis Center. The Huskers finished the season with an 18-7 overall record.

Nebraska produced a 7-4 Big Ten regular-season mark to finish in a three-way tie for fourth with Ohio State and Purdue, while the Big Ten sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament.  The Huskers finished the season at No. 45 in the ITA national rankings, just missing a spot in the 64-team NCAA field.

The Big Red fought hard through doubles action indoors in Minneapolis, after the match had been delayed due to high winds outside. Claire Reifeis and Hayley Haakenstad secured a solid set point over Jaclyn Switkes and Emilee Duong on Illinois, but dropped the match 6-1 at the No. 2 doubles position. 

Doubles duo Katerina Matysova and Vasanti Shinde also played with unmatched energy. The pair paced their Fighting Illini opponents and secured four set points of their own, but were unable to pick up the match. Matysova and Shinde were defeated by Asuka Kawai and Mia Rabinowitz 6-4, to give Illinois the doubles point. 

Singles matches were quick to finish on courts 2, 4 and 6. Duong picked up a two-set defeat of sophomore M'Balia Bangoura on court 6 to put the Fighting Illini up 2-0 on the match.

Junior Paula Del Cueto Castillo then fell to her opponent, Rabinowitz on court 4. The Sevilla, Spain, native punched out three set points in the first set, before facing a shutout in the second. The final score stood a 6-3, 6-0. 

Shinde was also able to secure three set points in her match versus Illinois. However Illini athlete Kawai picked up the defeat of Shinde at 6-0, 6-3 at No. 2 singles to clinch the match.

Putting up a good fight for the Huskers, sophomore Claire Reifeis was on track to nab a victory Nebraska at the No. 3 singles position. The Indianapolis, Ind., native had battled past a tie-break in her first set to come away on top with a 7-5 finish over Daniela Novak. Reifeis was down in her second set but just one point when the match was clinched. 

Also showing grit for Nebraska were seniors Matysova and Brianna Lashway. Matysova held on to her match at No. 5 singles, but was unable to surface from her first-set tiebreaker (7-5). The Erding, Germany, native was tied at 1-1 in the second set when Illinois took home the win to advance to second-round competition. 

Lashway, playing out of the No. 1 singles spot, won six of her own points in a nerve-racking match against top-notch Switkes. The matched was called, unfinished at 6-4, 4-2 in Switkes favor. 

Results

Singles

1. Jaclyn Switkes (ILL) vs. Brianna Lashway (NEB) 6-4, 4-2, unfinished

2. Asuka Kawai (ILL) def. Vasanti Shinde (NEB) 6-0, 6-3

3. Daniela Novak (ILL) vs. Claire Reifeis (NEB) 5-7, 3-2, unfinished

4. Mia Rabinowitz (ILL) def. Paula Del Cueto Castillo (NEB) 6-3, 6-0

5. Sasha Belaya (ILL) vs. Katerina Matysova (NEB) 7-5, 1-1, unfinished

6. Emilee Duong (ILL) def. M' Balia Bangoura (NEB) 6-1, 6-2

Doubles

1. Sasha Belaya/Daniela Novak (ILL) vs. Paula Del Cueto Castillo/Brianna Lashway (NEB) 5-4, unfinished

2. Jaclyn Switkes/Emilee Duong (ILL) def. Claire Reifeis/Hayley Haakenstad (NEB) 6-1

3. Asuka Kawai/Mia Rabinowitz (ILL) def. Katerina Matysova/Vasanti Shinde (NEB) 6-4

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,4,2)