Rice University
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Western Michigan
Owls Edged by Western Michigan
2/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 28, 2009
The Rice women's tennis team fell behind early, but battled back on the road at 61st-ranked Western Michigan only to see them fall just short in a 4-3 loss at the West Hills Athletic Club in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Saturday.
"We knew today would be a battle and it was," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "Our team showed a ton of heart by fighting back after falling behind early. If we keep that type of intensity, these 4-3 matches will start to go our way."
After dropping the doubles point, the Owls rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the match thanks to singles wins by Rebekka Hanle and Ana Guzman. After the Broncos tied it, 2-2. Rebecca Lin gave the Owls a 3-2 lead with a win at No. 4 singles. The Owls were then poised to win the match when Alex Rasch took a late lead in the third set at No. 6 singles, but she eventually fell by a 7-5 count in the deciding set.
"Unfortunately, our inexperience showed a little in the end but credit to Western Michigan for playing a solid match," Schmidt said. "We have another big match Tuesday and we will work hard the next few days in preparation for Ohio State," she added.
The Owls will remain on the road as they prepare to take on 37th-ranked Ohio State on Tuesday.
Tennis Match Results
Rice vs Western Michigan
Feb 28, 2009 at Kalamazoo, Mich.
(West Hills Athletic Club)
#61 Western Michigan 4, Rice 3
Singles competition
1. Kerstin Pahl (WMU-W) def. Julie Chao (RICE) 7-6, 6-2
2. Emily Dudzik (WMU-W) def. Jessica Jackson (RICE) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
3. Ana Guzman (RICE) def. Amanda Moccia (WMU-W) 6-1, 6-2
4. Rebecca Lin (RICE) def. Jenny Nalepa (WMU-W) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
5. Rebekka Hänle (RICE) def. Ashley Moccia (WMU-W) 6-1, 6-2
6. Rachel Denny (WMU-W) def. Alex Rasch (RICE) 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. Emily Dudzik/Yumi Matsuto (WMU-W) def. Julie Chao/Ana Guzman (RICE) 8-5
2. Ashley Moccia/Jenny Nalepa (WMU-W) def. Jessica Jackson/Varsha Shiva-Shankar (RICE) 8-5
3. Kerstin Pahl/Amanda Moccia (WMU-W) def. Alex Rasch/Rebecca Lin (RICE) 8-2
Players Mentioned
