The Omaha Women’s Tennis team secured a 5-2 victory against UC Riverside on March 21, closing out its nonconference schedule. The match took place in Riverside, California, and improved Omaha’s record to 10-8 for the season.
This win marks an important step for the Mavericks as they prepare to enter conference play. Strong performances in singles and doubles highlighted the team’s depth and resilience.
Sophomore Katelynn Kock clinched the overall win for Omaha by defeating Camille Li in a three-set match at No. 3 singles. Kock now leads the Mavericks with 13 singles wins this spring. Sophomore Nina Wiese also came from behind to win her No. 2 singles match against Kei Kato, earning her twelfth singles victory of the dual season. In the top singles spot, junior Khayli Buckels recorded her ninth win of the year with a straight-set victory over Ramey Yu.
In doubles action, Wiese and Kock extended their winning streak to eleven matches with a decisive 6-0 result in the No. 1 flight. The pair of Jacqueline Pearsall and Shelby Smith also won their doubles match, while Buckels and Summer Shannon’s contest was left unfinished at four games apiece.
Head coach Adam Summitt said, “Fantastic win to end our road trip. It was another extremely hot day and the conditions were tough. We competed much better in the heat than we did on Thursday. I thought Khayli (Buckels) did an extremely good job today versus a tough opponent. Nina (Wiese) responded well after losing the first set. Katelynn (Kock) came up very clutch for us. She dropped the second set, was down 2-0 in the third, then just rallied to clinch it for us.”
Looking ahead, Omaha will begin conference play by hosting St. Thomas on Friday, March 27 and Oral Roberts on Saturday, March 28 at Koch Tennis Center, weather permitting.
