Univ. of Nebraska (Lincoln) Team Page
Head Coach Scott Jacobson's Thoughts
On the significance of this season
"I believe this season was significant as it brought more exposure to our program both Nationally and internationally. We are hopeful that the success of our program will lead to talented young athletes from all over the world to consider our Husker family."
On the growth of the team and its importance
"Every year is important. The long term success of our program is due to talented young athletes committed to the concept of “team first”. 16 of the past 17 years our program has obtained a National ranking, placing it in the top 25 percent of all division 1 programs on a consistent basis. The past 4 years our program has elevated to a level comparable to the top 5 to 10 percent of programs throughout the Nation. We hope to continue the tradition that has been present with a group of very young, but talented individuals entering our program."
On Mary Weatherholt's success and accomplishments
"I don’t believe there will ever been any one person that will accomplish more than Mary Weatherholt has accomplished at Nebraska. She is the best tennis player in the history of our program. More important, she was honored for her accomplishments off the court, and her service to the community. Mary also was acknowledged as the Nations winner of the Cissie Leary Sportsmanship award. She is an incredibly well rounded young lady, and I’m sure she will have tremendous success in whatever avenue she pursues."
On what is next for the women's tennis team and thoughts on the growth of the younger players
"We have several new faces joining the program next fall. We believe we have a tremendously talented freshmans class. Replacing our top 4 players in a year that was the Universities best in school history is a tremendously challenging task. We believe next year program will compete at incredibly high level and we as a coaching staff are excited to get started. The leadership of Maggy, Izabella, Maike and Lauren, will be very important to the success of our program."
Huskers Advance To Sweet 16 First Time Ever
The Huskers reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history where they fell to then-No.2 North Carolina 1-4. The team finished the season ranked No. 16 in the nation, the same as last season’s final, after achieving a school-high No. 6 midway through the season on March 12.
Weatherholt Achieves NCAA Singles Runner-up
Mary Weatherholt had a historic march in the NCAA Singles tournament to cap her final year as a Huskers. Going 5-1 in the tournament, she stormed her way into the championship match where she fell to the defending champion Nicole Gibbs of Stanford. Weatherholt is the only player for Nebraska to ever reach a national championship.
Huskers Earn Conference Title, First Time since 1978
The Huskers earned their first conference title since 1978 when they were still members of the Big Eight conference. Nebraska rounded out the regular season 10-1 in Big Ten play to tie for first with Michigan and share the regular-season Big Ten Conference title. This was the team’s first conference title as a member of the Big Ten. The scarlet and cream were unable to produce a tournament title after falling in the semifinals to Northwestern, but still they take home the trophy for the 2013 season as Big Ten regular season co-champions.
Huskers In The ITA National Rankings
Nebraska finished the season ranked 16th in the nation. The ITA Division I women’s tennis rankings were released Tuesday, May 28 and Nebraska remained at the No. 16 spot in the nation concluding the NCAA tournament play. The Huskers have remained in the top 25 of the nation the entire 2013 season to date peaking at No. 6, the highest in school history.
Mary Weatherholt jumped to No. 6 in ITA singles holding a record of 30-2 (16-2 against ranked opponents) on the season and becoming the NCAA Singles Runner-up for 2013. This is the highest singles ranking ever achieved by a Husker.
Mary Weatherholt and partner Patricia Veresova remained in the ITA doubles rankings at No. 7 this week. The two went 22-3 on the season, including eight victories against ranked opponents.
Nebraska went 13-5 against teams ranked in the ITA top 75, with six victories against opponents ranked inside the top 25. The highest-ranked opponent they faced was No. 2 North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round.
The Huskers finished as the third-highest ranked team in the Big Ten behind No. 10 Michigan and No. 12 Northwestern. Eight teams from the Big Ten finished the season in the top 75, with a total of three in the top 25. The remaining ranked Big Ten teams are No. 27 Purdue, No. 42 Indiana, No. 45 Illinois, No. 47 Penn State, and No. 73 Ohio State.
