Indiana women’s tennis will continue its road trip on Friday against Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska. This is the second of three consecutive conference road matches for the Hoosiers.
The Hoosiers have not performed well against the Huskers historically. They have a 3-5 record, including 1-3 at home and 2-2 away, and have lost their last two matches against Nebraska.
In its last visit to Lincoln, Indiana lost 5-2 in 2021 and the last matchup between the two schools ended in a 4-3 victory for the Huskers at Bloomington in 2022.
Overall, the Hoosiers are 10-6 this season, 7-3 at home and 3-3 away, but only 1-3 in the Big Ten with losses to Penn State, Maryland and Northwestern and a win against Rutgers.
Nebraska has a very similar record: the Huskers are 12-4 overall, an impressive 11-3 at home but only 1-1 away. Similarly, the Huskers have struggled in Big Ten games, winning only one game against Minnesota and losing to No. 3 Michigan and Iowa.
In singles play, Huskers’ No. 1 sophomore Ana Carmen Zamburek is 2-6 overall this season and winless in the Big Ten (0-2), and in a six-game losing streak. On the other side, Hoosier’s No. 1 sophomore Lara Schneider is 10-3 this season and 3-1 against Big Ten opponents, the only loss coming last match against Penn State’s junior Sofiya Chekhlystova which snapped an eight-game winning streak for Schneider.
At No. 2, Huskers’ junior Isabel Adrover Gallego is 5-3 this season but only 0-1 in the conference and amid a two-game losing streak as well. Hoosiers’ No. 2 graduate student Saby Nihalani lost last weekend, extending her losing streak to three games and dropping her to 9-4 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten.
The No. 3 spot should have an exciting matchup this weekend. The match includes the best individual record for the Huskers this season against the second-best individual record for the Hoosiers. For the Huskers, senior Samantha Alicea is 11-1 this season, which includes a 1-0 record in the Big Ten. On the other side, Hoosier’s No. 3 redshirt junior Mila Mejic is 10-6 in the season and 2-2 in the Big Ten after last Sunday’s loss.
For the doubles, a great battle should occur at No. 1. Huskers’ double Alicea and junior Raphaëlle Lacasse are undefeated this season with a 10-0 record overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten. As for the Hoosiers, No. 1 double Schneider and Nihalani are 9-4 this season but only 1-3 in the conference and currently on a two-game losing streak.
Another interesting matchup should happen at No. 3 with Huskers’ double Zamburek and sophomore Lucy Loy playing Hoosiers’ redshirt juniors Alexandra Staiculescu and Xiaowei "Rose" Hu. The Huskers double is 5-2 this season and have not managed to win or lose any Big Ten games, having all of them go unfinished. On the Hoosiers’ side, the No. 3 double is 6-4 overall and 1-1 in the conference but is coming off a two-game losing streak.
Indiana plays Nebraska at 1 p.m. on Friday in Lincoln.
