Rice University
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Mississippi State
Rice Beats Mississippi State 4-2
2/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 10, 2006
HOUSTON -- Seniors Medeja Egic and Blair DiSesa were triumphant in a pair of three-set marathons to lead the 55th-ranked Rice women to a tough 4-2 victory against 66th-ranked Mississippi State at the Downtown Club at the Met.
Tiffany Lee got things started for the Owls with a commanding 6-4, 6-0 victory against Polina Kokoulina at number-four singles. The Bulldogs answered right back with a win at six. Christine Dao then gave Rice a 2-1 lead with her 7-5, 7-5 decision against Renée Joseph at the two position. Mississippi State evened things up again with a three-set win at three as the match came down to a pair of marathons at one and five singles.
Playing at the top spot, DiSesa struggled early, going down 3-0 in the first set. She rallied back against Anastasia Kugakolova to force a tiebreak, but came up just short. The pair continued to battle back and forth in the second, this time with DiSesa coming out on top in the tiebreak. The Owl went on to dominate in the third for a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory and sent all eyes to number five singles.
The Owls' Egic and the Bulldogs' Elna de Villiers had a similar battle on their hands with a Rice win cinching the match and a Mississippi State win sending the match to doubles. In a battle punctuated by long rallies, the pair split the first two sets with Egic fending off a late rally from de Villiers in the second frame to force a third. Egic then took the upper hand to claim a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-2 win and secure the team victory for Rice.
The victory improves the Owls' record to 3-3 on the year. Rice hits the road for the next five matches beginning with 41st-ranked Purdue and 18th-ranked Kentucky next weekend in West Lafayette, Ind.
Results
No. 55 Rice 4, No. 66 Mississippi State 2
Doubles
DNP
Singles
1. No. 31 Blair DiSesa (RU) def. Anastasia Kugakolova (MSU), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-2
2. Christine Dao (RU) def. Renée Joseph (MSU), 7-5, 7-5
3. Martina Banikova (MSU) def. Alanna Rodgers (RU), 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
4. Tiffany Lee (RU) def. Polina Kokoulina (MSU), 6-4, 6-0
5. Medeja Egic (RU) def. Elna de Villiers (MSU), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-2
6. Tatiana Feit (MSU) def. Kimberley Patenaude (RU), 6-4, 6-3
Players Mentioned
