Women whip weak Texas State, wounded Sam Houston
After a sound defeat at the hands of the University of Texas Jan. 23, a week's worth of practice and reflection was apparently just what the women's tennis team needed to resume its winning ways. Rice (3-1) began the road back to victory Saturday against Texas State University at the Galleria Tennis & Athletic Club, emerging with a 7-0 victory. Five of the six singles players defeated their opponents in straight sets, and every singles entry took their match.
Doubles also went well for the Owls, as the team swept all three matches behind strong serves and well-placed returns. Their aggressive play made it easy for the Owls to drop the Bobcats (1-2).
The Texas State competition was freshman Danny Trigo's first for Rice, as she arrived at the beginning of this semester from Bolivia. Her definitive 6-1, 6-1 win illustrated that her fall semester had been well-spent in preparation.
While the majority of the Owls won their matches without a hitch, junior Rebekka H?nle's was contested. Her match lasted nearly an hour and a half longer than all of the other matches. H?nle lost the first set in a difficult tiebreaker but maintained her composure to take the next set.
Because the rest of the matches had already been played and the match had been decided in Rice's favor, H?nle and her opponent played a 10-point tie-breaker in the third set. H?nle persevered, raising her game to win the grueling third set 10-4 and the overall match 6-7, 7-6, 10-4.
H?nle's win gave the women's tennis team their first perfect sweep of a rival school of the season and put them back over .500.
Head Coach Elizabeth Schmidt was happy with her team's play.
"[The team] went out there and took care of business, were professional and really took it to their opponents, and that is the style of tennis I like to see from them," Schmidt said.
A day after its win over Texas State, the women's tennis team welcomed Sam Houston State University at Jake Hess Stadium to begin Rice's home season. On their home court, the Owls once again trumped their competition with a 6-1 win.
Before the team could take the win, however, they would have to deal with temperatures that hovered around the mid-40s. The team also had to deal with the jump from playing indoors in a warm environment with little natural factors to worry about, to a cold environment where wind and other natural factors come into play.
Schmidt felt her team handled the adjustment well.
"We went from very fast conditions on Saturday to very slow conditions on Sunday," Schmidt said. "I was really pleased with how the team adjusted."
The match also had an unusual start in that Sam Houston (1-2) only competed with five players due to injuries.
"It's very easy in that situation to let up," Schmidt said. "Just because they have five we really need to make sure we stay focused and take care of business."
The Owls were not fazed by Sam Houston's unusual lineup and started by winning both doubles matches.
Also, because the Bearkats only had five competitors, Rice rested No. 1 doubles team as well as H?nle after her marathon match the day before.
In the singles slate, senior Rebecca Lin, junior Jessica Jackson and sophomores Ana Guzman and Alex Rasch each won their matches in straight sets. Senior Julie Chao, however, could not get her game going, and fell in her match 7-5, 6-4.
The remaining two points went Rice's way because of Sam Houston's lack of competitors.
Coming off a weekend of victory, the team feels optimistic about this weekend's play. The team faces two ranked teams in No. 12 University of California-Los Angeles Monday and No. 41 Pepperdine University tomorrow on the road.
These California competitors are a steep step up from the talent of the Bearkats and the Bobcats. But Rice isn't shying from the challenge, as a successful weekend might take them into the national discussion.
"If we keep on playing like we're playing right now, we should definitely be one of the best in the nation," Rasch said.
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