Huskers Host No. 8 Northwestern, Illinois in Opening Weekend

Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-0) vs No. 8 Northwestern Wildcats (4-1)

Friday, Feb. 12

5 p.m. CT

Lincoln, Neb.

Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center

Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-0) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (0-0)

Sunday, Feb. 14

11 a.m. CT

Lincoln, Neb.                                                                                                                     

Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center

Lincoln, Neb.–The Nebraska women’s tennis team is set to welcome No. 13 Northwestern and Illinois to the Dillon Tennis Center over the weekend. The Huskers are back on their home courts for the first time since March 7, 2020. Action is set to begin Friday evening at 5 p.m. with a matchup against No. 13 Northwestern, followed by a Sunday morning contest against Illinois at 11 a.m.

Huskers Returns Eight Athletes From 2020

The 2021 Husker roster features eight returners from the 2020 team that went 11-4 and 9-0 at home. Senior’s Claire Reifeis, Hayley Haakenstad, and Emma Worley are all competing in their fifth year with the Huskers due to restored eligibility. In 2020, Reifeis was a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection. The Indianapolis, Ind., native posted a 6-4 singles record last spring with two of those losses coming from nationally ranked-opponents. Hayley Haakenstad is coming off an outstanding 2020 campaign that included a 10-3 doubles record with five different partners. In singles, she went 6-1, the highest winning percentage of any Huskers in 2020. Emma Worley returns to the Husker lineup in 2021 as she continues to improve her game. Worley went 1-1 in singles play last weekend at the Wisconsin Invitational.

Junior Jessica Aragon will be back in action for her third season as a Husker. The Plano, Texas native finished 2020 with a 3-3 singles record, winning at the No. 3, 4 and 6 spots. In doubles she went 5-2, winning three matches with Haakenstad.

All four members from the 2019 nationally ranked No. 14 recruiting class return to the Husker lineup in 2020. Kristina Novak posted a 9-3 singles record during her freshman campaign, including a 4-1 record at the No. 1 spot. In doubles action, Novak went 5-5 during the spring. Isabel Adrover Gallego posted a 5-2 mark in 2020 competing out of the No. 2 and 3 spots in the singles lineup. The Mallorca, Spain native was 4-2 in doubles competition and 3-0 with Reifeis. Chloe Kuckelman put together an impressive freshman campaign in 2020. The Overland Park, Kan., native went 9-5 in singles action and 10-3 in doubles. Teaming up with twin sister Ellie Kuckelman, the duo went 8-3 in spring competition as NU’s most dominant doubles team. Ellie Kuckelman was 9-2 in singles play last spring, tying Novak and Chloe Kuckelman for most individual wins. 

Nebraska Welcomes Trio of Newcomers

Freshman Maja Makoric of Dobrovo, Slovenia and Vivien Sandberg of Ahaus, Germany are set to make their regular season debuts this weekend. Last weekend at the Wisconsin Invitational (Feb. 5-7), Makoric went 3-0 defeating opponents from Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. Makoric and Sandberg paired up to top the Iowa duo of Ashleigh Jacobs and Michelle Bacalla, 6-4. 

The Huskers also welcome junior Samantha Alicea. The Miami, Fla., native spent her first two seasons at Arizona State where she was a standout doubles player for the Sun Devils, finishing the 2019 season with a No. 85 ranking.

Scouting Northwestern

The Wildcats are 4-1 on the season and coming off a stellar stretch of competition at ITA kick-off weekend. Northwestern defeated No. 7 North Carolina State and No. 16 Wake Forest to earn a spot at the ITA Indoor Championships. At the ITA Championships in Stillwater, Okla., Northwestern fell in the opening round to No. 3 Texas, but finished the tournament strong, defeating No. 10 Oklahoma State and No. 9 Ohio State in consolations matchups.

Fifth year senior Julie Byrne returns to the Wildcat roster after a unanimous All-Big Ten selection in 2019-20. Byrne is currently ranked No. 57 in the ITA singles rankings. 

NU is led by Head Coach Claire Pollard who is in her 23rd season with the program. The Wildcats lead the head-to-head series with Nebraska, 8-2.

Scouting Illinois

The Fighting Illini enter Lincoln after competing in two pre-season invitational tournaments against Iowa, Purdue, Michigan State and Indiana. In 2020 Illinois went 5-9 overall with a 1-0 mark in the Big Ten. Illinois returns two members of the 2019-20 all Big Ten team in Mia Rabinowitz and Asuka Kawai. The Fighting Illini lead the overall series with Nebraska 6-3. 

Illinois will open the regular season at Iowa on Friday afternoon before traveling to Lincoln. 

They are led by Head Coach Evan Clark who has been with the program as an assistant since 2014, taking over the role of head coach in 2015. Former Nebraska women’s tennis assistant coach, German Dalmagro enters his third season as associate head coach of Illinois. 

COVID Protocol 

Matches this season are NOT open to the general public

Pass List Attendees 

• Facial coverings are mandatory at all times inside the facility 
• Self-screening to ensure good health should be completed – we encourage attendees to download the CheckCOVID app to complete this. Otherwise, a series of questions may be asked upon entry.
• Attendees should physically distance themselves from other family cohorts in the seating area 
• There will be no admittance to the playing floor level at any point during the day
• A reasonable amount of outside food and beverage will be allowed (coolers and alcohol are prohibited)
• Gates will open 60min before the start of the event for all pass list attendees 
• Parking will be located in the surface lot south of the Dillon Tennis Complex
• Entry – please enter in the main gate on the southeast corner of the building