Women's tennis brings confidence to matches against low-ranked teams

It's been awhile since the Nebraska women's tennis team has played on familiar courts.

The Huskers will open their dual regular season on Saturday at the Nebraska Tennis Center when they host Wyoming (11 a.m.) and Eastern Michigan (4:30 p.m.).

The team is coming off a successful weekend at the Evanston, Ill., Kick-off Classic, a tournament that displayed Nebraska's ability to compete against some of the finest teams in collegiate tennis. NU overwhelmed Arkansas, then a top 25 team, and nearly came away with a victory against No. 12 Northwestern.

While the skill sets of Wyoming and Eastern Michigan may not compare to those of the aforementioned teams, they will provide a different test for Nebraska. The sort of test talented teams often face after tasting success.

Some refer to these as ‘trap games.' NU women's tennis would argue otherwise.

"Rankings don't matter when you step onto the court," said captain Mary Weatherholt. "We've all been here before, and we know how important every game is, regardless of the level of competition."

"Wyoming is a potential Top 50 program," coach Scott Jacobson said. "Probably better than their ranking indicates."

On paper, though, the Huskers are the superior team. Nebraska ranks 29th in the ITA Women's National Team Rankings, 10 spots higher than last week, and Wyoming stands at 75th overall. Eastern Michigan hasn't cracked the top 75.

Although it's still early in the season, the schedules thus far show the disparity between Nebraska and its two opponents.

Wyoming (1-1) soundly defeated unranked UT-Arlington last weekend, followed by an embarrassing 0-7 loss to No. 5 Baylor in the championship. Eastern Michigan (3-3) has already suffered losses to Marshall, Wisconsin and Michigan, none of which are ranked in the Top 60.

Neither of NU's opponents this weekend are unfamiliar, either. In the 2010-2011 season, NU soundly defeated the Eagles 7-0, as well as recording a 6-1 victory over Wyoming.

But don't think Nebraska is coming into this match overconfident. Thanks to the veteran leadership of this Husker squad, which includes three seniors and three juniors, the team understands how important it is to treat every match the same, Weatherholt said.

"This past weekend helped us realize that we truly are a good team," Weatherholt said, "but right now I would say we have a perfect balance of confidence. Almost all of us were on the team last year so we've all been there before, and we try to lead by example. That includes against weaker teams."

One of those returning players is junior Patricia Veresova, a member of the team who played stellar this past weekend in spite of a horrible sickness. She won both of her doubles matches and both singles matches, and is looking forward to playing a match without an illness.

"It was a real struggle last week, but I just fought through it," she said. "As for the team, we just treat each dual the same. We are confident, but we never underestimate anybody."

jcreid@dailynebraskan.com