1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Nebraska Women's Tennis HC German Dalmagro is here: February 5th, 2026, 11:00am

Episode Date: February 5, 2026

Dalmagro previews the upcoming weekend for the Huskers' tennis team. gerAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

time to go one-on-one with DP. Coming at Shue live from the heart of Lincoln America, a 93-7-a-ticket and the Ticketfm.com. Sponsored by the Downtown Lincoln Foundation. Here is your host Derek Pearson.

It is 11.01. There you go, Bob. You got me? You're on. You're on. There we go. I couldn't hear you. That's what I was. In the space,

42 degrees. Bless you, Mother Nature, your kind, kind soul. We appreciate you. 402, 416485, this starter, Heyman, text line. You want to be a part of what we're doing? Hit us up. I can't. I would be remiss if I did not.

Bach, Thursday. Boom. Okay, let's get it. All right, all the video streams. You can follow Facebook, YouTube, X, hello channel 961. Download the ticket app. Buck, kind sir, two questions. How the heck are you?

I can't complain today. I don't think of most people here in Lincoln, can. It feels like we're in Los Angeles or Miami or something, maybe not that far, but it's pretty nice outside. We're living in the life. And, kind, sir, if you would, please, will you? Pay the bills. Yes, today's show is sponsored by Hamilton Telecommunications,

bringing you the latest quality technology and communication services since 1901. Whether it's residential or business, Hamilton has the answer. Visit hamilton tell.com for more info today. Thank you, kind, sir. He is our special guest on Thursdays, a weekly Thursday conversation. Oscar Women's Tennis head coach, Hermando Magro, coach. How the heck are you? I'm doing great, doing great.

Just like you guys enjoying the warmer weather. Hopefully, it's here to stay, even though, you know, we probably get a little cold from at some point again. But, but no, it's been, it's been good. I'm doing well. We're about to hit the row here in about an hour. two heading down to Wichita. So good. We're ready to go. Taking a win streak with you.

We are. Hopefully. We'll keep it going. You know, Wichita is a really good team this year. So we'll have our work cut out for us. But we're ready for the challenge. And it looks like we'll be outside.

So first match outside of the year. We'll practice today for the first time in a couple months. So definitely a few different elements, but we're ready. Does that add energy, positive energy to it for the girls? I think so. To a point, you know, some really enjoy playing indoors and some playing outside, like to play outside more. So it's a combination of both. It usually takes a little longer to get adjusted to outdoors.

Yeah. But we're here. No excuses, you know, so we're just going to go out there and do our best and see what we got tomorrow. So we're talking to Peter Cobalt from the men's program Tuesday. And he was talking about the different balls that are used and then different racket tension. right with strings and how you're adjusting depending on sometimes playing outdoors and yeah so how do you make those decisions one on rackets like how many rackets do your girls carry and what are they looking to do with them i mean they usually carry four each and then uh they usually two or three of them are like brand new strings so they we change them about you know

every week or so everybody um depending if we like i think the guys went a little bit to a high altitude so so you the ball flies quicker so you want to string your bracket a little tighter okay so you have more control in this sense we're going to about the same altitude in which does so changing the tension is not a priority right now um the balls are the same that we're going to play now it's just outside it's like a little different right the the wind is a factor the sun is a factor the ball just you know the wind kind of stops the ball or moves the ball a little more So there's definitely more adjustments to be made But I mean I think we're both going to be in the same kind of condition

So we're just going to We just have to be you know when you play I think you're going for your targets when it's a little more breezy outside It's not as easy because the ball just moves more So you have to have bigger targets a little more patience Is there an advantage to a style of play when you're outdoors Is it better to be a big server Accurate volleyer like what's the advantage?

I think the advantage is to the one that is the most consistent and it's fit enough. I think the one that kind of wants to hit it hard and flat tends to miss more outside because it's not easy to put the ball away because you have more time to get to it, right? Because the ball doesn't travel as fast. So definitely the one that he's with more spin and is more consistent and is willing to stay out there longer periods of time. I think that usually is to their advantage. We have a few of those. So we'll see how they play tomorrow.

From the text on Cubscarus, it says, what time are you playing in Wichita? He lives like an hour and a half from there and would love to attend. So there's two days. Two days. So we play Wichita tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the outdoor courts on campus. And then we play at 1 p.m. the next day. Could be moved to 12, depending if we're outside against Avalin Christian. Both matches should be outside.

Should be in the mid-to- Upper 50s, I think. so we'll try to play both matches out. So it will be 11 a.m. on Friday and then 12 or 1 p.m. on Saturday. Okay. And then, yeah, both should be outside. If no, I think the match is inside the Wichita Country Club. But if it's outside, it's just at the course on campus. Who normally travels from Husker Nation?

Is it family, friends? Like who? A little bit. I mean, we don't. We don't travel too many. people sometimes a lot of people are national right yeah yeah i mean uh every time every now they we'll have a parent or two kind of come to a specific matches not to every weekend and then at times we have like you know fans kind of show up there you know a few that live in the

area that they hear kind of like kind of like this fan right now you know a few they would just show up and be wearing red and they start cheering that happens to us at kansas um a few a few people show up you know that have no idea who they are and they start cheering for us you know so it's great got a chance to meet in you know and thank them for being there and all that so it was it was good uh yeah sometimes that we we usually take just a kind of small roster i mean we take our whole team our coaches and i mean for this trip today i think we're taking our kind of photographer you know to take a few pictures on the row for the first time but a small party but um but hopefully a loud one yeah we've got a young

lady gracie who will take pictures so if you ever need somebody uh to do that sort of thing we got invited into women's gymnastics. Okay. And they did a really good video and great capture. I mean, that's ever something you want, whether it be home or way, just let me know. Okay. That's a thing. Yeah, that's a thing that can be done.

It kind of, I know there's liability and all those sort of things, but at least it's there. And Kupsker is a friend of the station. So he will come up and introduce himself. Perfect. Positive of that. Yeah. Good dude. Make sure you wear red.

Yeah. And then we can, we can recognize him. Yeah. It's a good dude. Let the folks know who's playing well for you. I mean, you're on a two-game, too much Win Street, you're five-and-one for the season. Who's playing well?

I think we have quite a few playing well. You know, we still have, you know, one of our best players injured. And then when we went to Kansas, we have another one done with the flu. But she was able to battle through and play, even with the flu. I think our freshman kid is playing really well.

You know, I think, I think Ticiana is playing really well. I think Catherine is playing really well. I think just about everybody is kind of finding their groove, you know. I think Emma is playing well. I think it's, you know, we have it, but I think just sometimes, you know, different matchups, different circumstances, sometimes bring the best of you. Sometimes you have good moments and we're excited.

I think it's the more we play, the more we can find out about ourselves and a little more, you know, the tests. We, you know, we lost at Kansas, but it was a really close match. they're a really good team but we have you know opportunities kind of left and right in there you know and then some players were playing well and one ended up losing really close match with like a top 20 player

in the country another one had a match point and ended up not finishing so we were like right there it's just like keep building on that momentum and keep just keep putting all the pieces together so I I used to get asked this

as a coach what was more difficult losing the tough the close match or getting blown out because coach yeah the lessons you learn you don't want anybody to play poorly

but you hate those critical errors that cost you at an end of a match or if you're just having a bad day and you just ride through how do you deal with that? Yeah I feel like when you get blown now you kind of feel like well we never really had a chance you know and then just kind of like try to move on and learn from that when it's a heartbreaker

and it was really close. I feel like it gives you a little more of that sour taste, a little more of like even a little bit more of this appointment because you weren't that close to getting that win. And then you start just thinking a little more on kind of what moments or what defined, you know, different moments, right? And then we talk about the Kansas match, you know, playing first match, you know, on the road

and kind of like playing a really good opponent. And I think kind of what decided was just kind of how we handle some opportunities that we had and couldn't convert on those. And then we handle a little bit of that momentum swings. In turn, there's a lot of momentum swings, especially in college. So how we handle those and able to take advantage of some opportunities we were given, or created ourselves. And then I felt like we didn't do a great job on a few of those and a few we did.

And it's just a matter of closing on the right ones, right? That closes a set or closes a match. So it definitely sometimes we losing close matches. you know, it gives you a little more of that sour taste than just getting blown out. Just because you're like, if you get blown out, you'd be like, well, they were just too good. You know, we didn't have our best and just move on. And then, you know, there's not too much to think about, you know. Here's the thing.

Blowouts, I could forget the blowouts. I could never forget the ones where we were close. Yeah. And it was like a small thing. Yeah. I listened to one of the Kentucky vascular plays. He talks about of all the losses they had in the year, what he remembers is the pain of a last minute shot beating you.

Because you could have just like to get to where one play or one point gives you a victory and you can't get it done. It gave him great amounts of pain. I know. I still think about some of the close losses we have the last couple of years, more to be honest than the blows. So you're right on that. And sometimes you just kind of, obviously you can't take it back, you know,

but yeah, it's kind of one of those like, ah, I wish we could have done this, that. I wish, you know, one little thing went away in that moment. But, you know, you just got to move on and learn from it and then get better, you know. Coach, a big part of why I enjoy these coach conversations is that you get to take us directly. We can ask you directly about some things that are going. on in sports, and whether it be coaching or otherwise. And fans go into their immediate space of what they think is going on, and then there are a

lot of conversations. So while you don't speak for all coaches, it certainly gives credence to hear it from a coach, or at least to give some perspective. There is a wave of coaches, college coaches, and high-level university coaches, who are just saying, you know what? I'm not enjoying this anymore. It's become too difficult. It's become too business, too transactional.

It's become too fluid. Let's start on the positive side of what you love about coaching. Because I think that is the thing that determines your place in this. That's what's keeping me here. Right, right, right. So what do you love about coaching? I think I love the developmental side. and seeing and then the relationship kind of like combine, you know, both, you know,

seeing, you know, young athletes kind of go to a place and kind of find themselves and get to grow, get to develop, get to mature, and get to get better at what they do and what they love to do. And you see their development or how they grow and how they get better and how they give back sometimes to the community and the relationships that you build and they kind of last a long time, you know, that's kind of what I love the most. I have friends and family friends or former players that are still in touch, you know, 15, 20 years later, which I think is pretty cool. And then just seeing them develop and get better kind of what they love to do. And then you kind of, you're a small part of their journey, you know? And sometimes bigger than other parts, you know, but you're a part of their journey.

And then you made a positive impact on their lives and on their kind of their journey, whether it's a. a person sometimes more than as a player and sometimes more as a player than as a person. Sometimes you have like different relationships and different levels of kind of how you connect with players and some are a little more just like player coach and some are sometimes you build more of like, you know, they see you more as a mentor, they see you more as somebody that you, you know, they gravitate a little more to kind of like help them develop them in every aspect and some others, you know, but nothing, nothing wrong with either of the other one. you know, but I enjoy that the most, just seeing them develop, seeing them grow,

and seeing them kind of achieve their goals and seeing them being happy based on kind of what the environment that you provide to them, you know? So that's what I love the most. How much is this love for the game? Like, there has to be, like, I think that longevity in coaching requires a love for the game. Yeah. almost as a parent to the game or a family to the game, because if you don't take care of it,

it goes in another direction and then you try to figure out what it is. How important is it for coaches to love the games that they can? Yeah, I mean, if you don't love the game, I think you just, I think your career is going to be very short, you know, because there's a lot of sacrifices made. You know, I sacrifice, you know, a lot of time, my family and events and birthdays and all that, you know, your kids are family or everybody, you know, for the love of what you do.

So it's, yeah, you absolutely have to have love of the game because sometimes the day-to-day and the tough losses and the tough moments, you know, they're not as easy sometimes to digest. So if you don't love the game and you don't kind of love the all of it, you know, not just the good moments, I think it will be really hard to survive it.

It will really hard to just have longevity, like you mentioned. You know, I think it's, you have to definitely love it. but also understand that there's ups and downs and you just have to be positive and work through both. Which is, which one's heavier? The ups are the downs. A little bit of both, you know? Right.

Like when you have an app, you know, then it's like, oh, can you keep this up? You know, when is it coming down? And then you try to kind of ride the wave, right? As long as you can and try to do everything you can to maintain that and knowing that is at times hard. right but when you do get the downs you know it's not to lose track of kind of like same thing you don't well and then things that you can build upon so a lot of lessons learn i think

in the ups and downs you know and then kind of everything in between so you try to take like you know it's like everything kind of goes in a curve up and down right so when you earn it down you know you can find back up when you're on the app you know it'll be a time that you you go back down so it's just a little combination of both and I think you have to learn for both and then uh and to try to keep moving forward it's an interesting wave and and momentum is real like we we know that it is is it harder to get your get a program or a player playing at its top level at its best level and keep them there or is it harder to just get them there it depends how much of a ladder they have to climb At first, right, to whatever the level they think they can get to,

or you think you can help them get to. Some, maybe the process is a little longer, some the process is a little shorter, depending on the player. And then I would say keeping them there, it might be a little harder than getting them there. By the fact of, like, once you get more up there, and then I think expectations change, sometimes you let your guard down because you're like, oh, I made it type of deal. And then all you do is just add a little more pressure,

because now people will look at you and they're like, well, she's one of the best players now here. So, you know, they have less pressure now to play you. So I think the dynamic changes a little bit. So I think it's a little harder, I think, to maintain it than to get there. Now, to get there depending where you want to get to, sometimes it might take a lot of sacrifice, a lot of hard work to get to, you know, depending on what you want to go. So that might that journey might be a little harder and then keeping it there might be a little easier at times, depending on who you are, right? but I think maintaining a really high level for a longer period of times, I think it's harder than to get in there.

Sometimes, yeah. Well, I was asking because in watching Husker Athletics as an entity and as a whole, we know that momentum, positive movement by one program affects the other programs. It gives them some hope. Sometimes when needed, it also changes the standard of how things are being done. And as we watch Coach Hoyberg and this basketball team, you watch Amy Williams in the basketball team, you watch Peter Cobalt, you know,

you're taking the team to a different level than it's been. I don't think fans know how hard it is to take programs that don't normally live in those spaces. Yeah. To get in those spaces and then to try to adjust, maintain, and manage going from a program that wasn't considered an elite program. and then having an elite year and trying to hold on to it and keep control of the reins.

Yeah. What are we, what are we, what are we missing about how impressive? Because I think what Coach Hoyberg is doing is one of the most impressive things I've seen. Absolutely. Right. I mean, it's in this Kirk Signetti, Indiana football range. But to take Nebraska basketball and turn it into, you know, a conversation piece for the entire sport. Yeah.

and then to hold the reins, right? Because now the friction has begun, but you still have to remember, wait a minute, this is still a top 10 basketball team. Absolutely. So how would you describe what's going on as you watch as a coach and as a member of the athletic coach? Yeah, I mean, I think it's tough.

You always, you know, like from the outside, you always thinking it's like, oh, when is it going to fall? When is it going to happen? And when is it, you know, like, and then from the east side, you're like, you know, you're like, you keep doing what you're doing. And then they did fall, right? They have a loss or two, you know, but against really good teams, right? And then I don't think their demeanor changes. I don't think the things change.

I think it's just more like, yeah, it's hard. It's hard. It takes hard work to get there and it takes harder. Sometimes work to keep that, right? Because the expectations, not sometimes not internally, but expectations in general, the pressure. I think sometimes opponents when they play somebody like that, then sometimes you have less pressure. So they feel like they're a little more loose. They're the hunter instead of the hunt.

So it's kind of one of those things that you're like, well, now I'm chasing. You know, I don't have to hold on to any lead, right? I have to chase and chase. And sometimes, you know, alleviates a little pressure and makes you play a little more free. And, you know, sometimes when you, you know, whether you hit a ball or shoot, you know, shoot it. sometimes you know when when you feel like you have to hold on to something there's a little more of that pressure that I feel like when you feel like you don't have to hold on anything you're just chasing and whatever happened happens you know and if you lose you are you supposed to lose

and if you win you know it becomes that like you know that unbelievable moment so it's a it's not easy I think it's even for the athletes you know I think all those programs you mentioned yeah doing a great job you know we're we're building that as well and I think it's trying to trying to remain hungry when you have a little of success, you know, so you can repeat that is really important, you know, because sometimes when you receive something, sometimes there is that intentionally or unintentionally, sometimes you can let your guard down just a little bit. And once you let your guard down a little bit, then you get punched. Well, you know, and then it's like, and then you're like, oh, crap, you know, now,

then you almost have to rebuild it. that seems to be the, like the real question. And again, it's so multi, there's so many ores in the water. Yeah. When you talk about, especially specifically Nebraska, with a football program that's trying to find, refine itself, rebrand itself, redirect itself. And there are so many things in play.

And it's different with 105 players and a big huge staff. you and Hoyberg and Cobalt, you have Heather Brink, you have opportunities to change the program because fewer things are required, but you also can't miss on a player. Yeah. You can't miss. You can't have somebody that, you know,

you need because injuries happen. Other situations happen. Absolutely. And you can't, your whole season could rely on getting the last player on your roster right. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, last year we basically could play.

the whole year without a player that played number two in the lineup and it's supposed to be a senior leader you know play without her the whole year you know this year we started off with you know one that could probably be one of our top on the lineups and yeah especially in tennis we're uh you know we at times play 100% of our roster you know if we have eight or nine players we play all of them sometimes you know in one match so yeah it is very hard um injuries and you know and then what happens in tennis sometimes, you know, like in some sports, if you have a bad moment or somebody's not having a great day, you can just sub it in and out or you change a few things in tennis. Once you step on the core, you have to play the whole match, whether you're having your best day or your worst day.

And then at times, you can't just take that player out because everybody has to move up in the lineup. And then it kind of makes every sport in the lineup, you know, weaker per se. That doesn't necessarily the players are weaker. You know, it's just like, it's just the way the way kind of our our our sport works so yeah it's hard if you miss on one or if you have an injury or if you have a little bit of a setback you just have to almost be you know really good on the day you know in a lot of different spots to get upsets so yeah it's this it's tough you know but we just have to you know do the best we can you know in our side a coach is recruiting but also developing and and keep the players you know whether they're in the starting

lineup or just outside and they might get a chance to play, making them sure that we still train them. We're still, you know, they're still there and any given chance, you know, they can step up and make an impact. So it, it, again, most of it's just phenomenal in that. I try to stay out of criticizing coaches for any decision because there's so many things that the fan doesn't know about what's happening either in the team, in the locker room, in the classroom or otherwise, and it becomes mentally lazy to think that there's a one, one, one way fixes all things in coaching.

I wish he was that easily. So, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, yeah, part of the, yeah, I mean, I, I, I see, like, as fans, too, you know, like, as coaches, you know, we, we, we try to prepare our team, right, and we try to, you make a decision what you think is best for the team, and then sometimes it works, sometimes it does. And from the outside, it might look like, you know, like a, oh, a bad decision. But at times, you know, you think you're making the best decision.

And sometimes you could be, you know, a matchup. Sometimes you could be the day. It can be a moment, you know, that changes things. And then you look back and you always look back and tend to reflect it. But like, oh, I could have made this a decision. But sometimes you just have to live with it and understand that, you know, we're all doing the best we can, you know. And it's like, and everybody's working hard. So sometimes you think you get a right, sometimes you don't.

And, you know, I'm the first one to raise the hand and be like, hey, this on me, you know, and then we just try to keep working and get better, you know. It is, it is. We'll take our first break. It is an amazing thing to remind ourselves that no coach wants to fail. And you have to remember that. When we come back, I'm going to ask coach to think. I'll set the table now because each program has its mantras,

it's things that their coach says the most. to its players. We're going to find, we're going to, we're going to create a shirt of the things that Hermann says to his players more than anything else. The things that he says on a day-to-day basis

all year round to keep his young ladies, you know what, on top of it, and in line and ready, we'll get his list. When we come back to one on one.