Feb. 2, 2002

The Missouri Tiger women's tennis team dropped a heartbreaker to Nebraska on Saturday 4-3 in the first ever Big 12 Conference match in the Green Tennis Center at Mizzou.

The overall match was not decided until the final singles match in which Rose Ketmayura defeated MU senior Caitlin Thompson in three sets, with each set requiring an extra game. Ketmayura won the match 7-5, 5-7, 7-5.

Other Tigers getting singles wins were freshman Katka Sevcikova over Katerina Balan 6-4, 6-2, freshman Mary Barry defeated Amy Frisch 6-1, 6-4, and junior Kristina Olshanskaya downed Anna Oehme 6-4, 7-6 (2).

Nebraska won the double point by winning two of the three doubles matches. The Tiger's No. 1 doubles team of Juric and Sevcikova picked up the lone Tiger doubles win by defeating Ketmayura and Leslie Harvey 8-5.

"We put a lot into this," MU Head Coach Blake Starkey said. "Last year we lost 7-0 to this team and this year we come within one game of beating them. I am emotionally drained right now, but I am very proud of our team. We will get our share of these very soon."

The Tigers will take to the road for two road matches starting with Colorado on Feb. 9 followed by Wyoming on Feb. 10

DOUBLES
1.Urksa Juric/Katka Sevcikova (MU) def. Leslie Harvey/ Rose Ketmayura (NU) 8-5
2. Katerina Balan/ Amy Frisch (NU) def. Mary Barry/Caitlin Thompson (MU) 8-2
3. Gite Osterman/ Anna Oehme (NU) def. Kristina Olshanskaya/Lucie Ruskova (MU) 8-4

SINGLES 1. Gite Osterman (NU) def. Urska Juric (MU) 7-5, 6-3
2. Katka Sevcikova (MU) def. Katerina Balan (NU) 6-4, 6-2
3. Mary Barry (MU) def. Amy Frisch (NU) 6-1, 6-4
4. Leslie Harvey (NU) def. Lucie Ruskova (MU) 6-4, 7-6 (2)
5. Kristina Olshanskaya (MU) def. Anna Oehme (NU) 6-4, 6-2
6. Rose Ketmayura (NU) def. Caitlin Thompson (MU) 7-5, 5-7, 7-5