The Basics
Drake women's tennis is heading to Nebraska for two matches this weekend. On Friday, Mar. 1, Drake will play Creighton at 12:30 p.m. Drake will then head to Lincoln, Neb. to play against Nebraska on Saturday, Mar. 2 at noon.
 
Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Bulldogs are 3-5 on the season. Drake has lost three consecutive matches against Montana State, South Dakota, and Iowa. On Sunday, Feb. 18, Drake lost 6-1 on the road at the Hawkeyes. Ines Stephani picked up the lone win for the Bulldogs. Competing in the No. 1 singles slot, Stephani defeated No. 85 Daianne Hayashida in straight sets for her first-ever ranked win.
 
Scouting the Competition
Creighton is 5-3 and won their most recent match against Omaha. The Bluejays went 17-8 last season and lost to Xavier in the Big East Finals. Creighton returned five top players, with All-Big East awardees Malvika Shukla and Valerie Negin highlighting the group. Creighton's head coach, Tom Lilly, is in his 27th season as head coach and his 34th on staff with Creighton tennis.
 
Shukla was named Big East Singles Player of the Week for Creighton in January. Shukla defeated her singles opponent in Creighton's match against Wichita State and secured her 100th career win, becoming the 20th player in Creighton history to accomplish that feat.
 
Drake holds a near-perfect 17-1 record against Creighton all-time. Creighton has been a mainstay on Drake's schedule since 2004, and Drake didn't lose to the Bluejays until 2019. The two schools last met in 2023 in Des Moines, where Drake defeated Creighton 4-3.
 
Nebraska women's tennis has dominated to a 6-1 this Spring season. Five of their matches have been 7-0 shutout victories. Last season, Nebraska notched a win against Purdue in the Big 10 Championship tournament but lost to Ohio State in the quarterfinal round. Huskers head coach German Dalmagro is in his first season at Nebraska and is off to a strong start. Last season, Dalmagro served as head coach at Arkansas State.
 
The Husker tandem of Ana Carmen Zamburek and Anfisa Danilchenko is ranked 27th in ITA's doubles rankings. Carmen Zamburek and Danilchenko are 4-1 in Spring. Maja Pietrowicz holds an undefeated 6-0 record in singles competition in 2024. Danilchenko also has six wins for the Huskers and only one loss.
 
Drake is 1-9 all-time against Nebraska, with every match being played in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Bulldogs' lone win came in 2014, and they've lost four in a row since then. This is the first match between Drake and Nebraska since 2019, which was a 4-0 Husker victory.
 
Up Next
Drake women's tennis will head to Virginia for two matches. Drake will play at James Madison on Sunday, Mar. 10 at 11 a.m. and at Richmond on Monday, Mar. 11 at noon.