2009 Women's Tennis Preview

By Prem Ramkumar     1/22/09 6:00pm

The Owls kick off their spring season after a strong showing this past fall under new head coach Elizabeth Schmidt. The 68th best program in the nation looks to improve upon their ranking this year and earn a bid to the prestigious NCAA tournament behind the leadership of junior Julie Chao and seniors Emily Braid and Rebecca Lin. Last season, women's tennis went 17-5 and finished as the 64th best team in the nation after starting at 74. The Owls have room to improve this year after a season that did not meet their expectations. The semifinal matchup in the Conference USA Championships on April 19, resulted in a close 3-4 loss to the 50th ranked Marshall, but the team still managed to have its best season since 1983.

Elizabeth Schmidt took the helm of the tennis team after the resignation of storied coach Roger White. Schmidt is a previous player for the University of California-Los Angeles and coached at the University of Notre Dame prior to coming to the Owls.

"I love [my new job]," she said. "I think Rice is a great place because of its academic and athletic tradition. It's a combination of both."

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Schidt also said that she really enjoys being around her hard-working players.

"We have lofty goals," she said. "Our team wants to win Conference USA and be ranked in the top 40. Every day I just want us to improve though, to find things to improve upon so we can get better both on and off the court."

Other additions to the team include freshmen Ana Guzman and Alex Rasch, both impact players from Guatemala. They bring a new dimension to the Owls locker room and contribute to a more diverse culture as they both not only add to the talent level but also to the team's personality.

As teammates, though, the squad puts an emphasis on team before the individual.

"We are trying to build on last year and win conference," Schmidt said. "There are several good teams in the conference, but we are one of them. We just have to go out each day, just play our game, and keep improving."

The fall 2008 season began with the Midland Collegiate Invitational from Oct. 10-12 in Midland, Texas. Chao, Braid, Lin and Guzman all won their opening rounds in the first tournament of the year. Guzman particularly stood out because she nearly pulled off the upset against fifth seed Madeleine Geibert of Nebraska, losing 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (5).

Soon after, the Owls moved on to the Holiday Inn Astrodome Rice Classic from Oct. 17-19 at Jake Hess Stadium where Chao, Lin, Braid and sophomore Varsha Shiva- Shanker all reached the singles championships in their respective flights. All but Chao, who lost a 6-1, 6-3 decision to Lee College's Ana Veselinovic in Flight 1, left with a singles championship. The success in this tournament demonstrated the high talent level and resilience the Owls possess.

The final tournament of the fall 2008 season opened on Oct. 24 at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on the Texas Christian University campus when seven of the first nine matches materialized into wins for the Owls. A particularly important tournament because it serves as the first test among other teams in the region, the ITA Southwest Regional set the stage for a pair of victories from Rasch and Shiva-Shanker.

The most promising victory on opening day was the upset of UT's 15th seed Sarah Lancaster and Maggie Mello by Shiva-Shanker and Braid in an 8-6 decision. By the end of the tournament, the Owls were playing tough consolation matches that they used to build upon their confidence for the upcoming season. Chao and Guzman pulled off the upset against seventh seed Davidson and Larsson from the University of Texas. In singles, Guzman and Braid downed UT's players Zein-El-Abdin 6-1, 7-5 and Julie Wiegard 6-4, 6-4.

"The biggest thing I took from the fall season is that we have a great group of girls who want to go out and compete," Schmidt said. "They go out and do the best they can. Each tournament they got better and better, which is great to see as a head coach. We always talk about being strong in the face of adversity, whether it is a hurricane or a worthy opponent."

The team is improving both on and off the court. Off the court, the women went on a retreat to an alumni ranch where team bonding became the unspoken goal. With team chemistry improving daily, the Owls are putting together the important pieces to form a cohesive unit.

Though Schimdt said that team unity is important, tennis is a sport of individuals. One of the team's key players is Chao who has been pre-ranked 23rd in the Southwest Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

The Owls kicked off their 2009 campaign by blanking Lamar 7-0 on Jan. 16 behind two three-set singles victories from Guzman and Chao and strong doubles play from sophomore Jessica Jackson and Varsha Shiva-Shanker. On Jan 17, the ladies took on Texas A&M Corpus Christi and came out with a 5-2 victoy behind clutch play from Jackson at the third singles spot with a win over the Islanders' Nina Ciric 6-4, 6-0.

"I was very nervous since it was my first match at a university, but after I was able to relax and have fun," Jackson said. "They were really great matches. I built my confidence by playing doubles with Varsha, and the next day I was better situated for the singles match."

As the younger players on the team continue to develop their talent and the new coaching staff adjusts to the university, the veterans have conveyed a clear goal to the rest of the squad.

"Our modest goal is to reach the top 35, and I feel we can reach that," Jackson said. "We play really well together and what most people don't know about us is the fight and passion we play with. Even if you aren't a tennis fan, I think it's a brand of sport all can enjoy and hopefully be inspired by."

The Owls travel to Austin where they take on the Longhorns on Jan. 24. UT is ranked 16th in the nation and will prove to be a good test of how prepared the squad is to face the nations best and make a run at the top of the rankings.

On Saturday, they return home to play Sam Houston State University.

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