Rice University
USF
Owls Hold Off Bulls' Charge, Down USF 4-3
3/4/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 4, 2012
Natalie Beazant shook off any lingering disappointment from a tough loss in doubles and prevented USF's Ecaterina Vasenina from delivering a second, three-set deflection of a upset bid by Rice in the last three years, posting a three-set win of her own to give Rice a 4-3 win over #26 South Florida at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Vasenina was no stranger to the Owls, having ended Rice's upset bid over the 18th ranked Bulls in 2010 with a three-set win over Ana Guzman. But Beazant made sure the third set would turn out differently this time, breaking her serve four times in the final set to claim the match for Rice.
"I am super proud of this team and the effort they gave today," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "The heart and the fight they have shown all season long has been unbelievable and they really willed themselves to win today. I could tell this morning with the energy they had that they believed in their chances. To be able to beat a team like South Florida, you have to believe and you have to commit yourself to a plan. It was a great team effort," Schmidt added.
Beazant and Dominique Harmath, who entered the weekend action ranked 43th in the country, saw a pair of match points slip away as they fell to Vasenina and Loreto Alonso 9-8 in doubles play. Facing her third higher-ranked opponent in her last five matches, Beazant took the first set against the 43rd ranked Vasenina, 6-2 but saw the USF junior rebound to take the second set 6-3, setting the stage for the climatic third set.
That loss was offset by a strong effort at No. 2 by Ana Guzman and Katie Gater, who raced out to a quick 8-1 win, giving the Owls two chances to clinch the point. "They won in about 30 minutes, and that really set the tone for the rest of the match," Schmidt said.
The win was the Owls second in as many Sundays against a ranked opponent at home, and the upset effort was against sparked by the effort of the Owls' No. 3 doubles duo of Kimberly Anicete and Stephanie Nguyen. The pair battled back to take a tie-breaker to gain the doubles point against then No. 35 Oklahoma last Sunday, and one week later, they scratched out a 9-7 win against South Florida to give the Owls a 1-0 lead.
"I think they learned a lot from that match at A&M," Schmidt said. "Sometimes it takes a loss and some heartache to learn. But they really seemed to have learned from that experience. They got down again today, but battled back."
After a rugged schedule of matches that included six straight scheduled on the road and seven of the last eight against ranked teams, the Owls will be off until they host Marquette at Jake Hess on March 16. Schmidt said the team will put the break to good use.
"We will take a couple days off and then get back on the practice courts. The goal remains the same, to get better every day. There's a lot of tennis left to play and it's important to take every opportunity to get on the court and continue to improve. We won this match, but we can continue to get better." She added.
Tennis Match Results
South Florida vs Rice
3/4/2012 at Houston, Texas
(Jake Hess Tennis Stadium)
#45 Rice 4, #26 South Florida 3
Singles competition
1. #59 Natalie Beazant (RICE) def. #43 Ecaterina Vasenina (USF) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
2. Loreto Alonso (USF) def. Dominique Harmath (RICE) 6-4, 6-3
3. Katie Gater (RICE) def. Danielle Mills (USF) 6-2, 6-2
4. Fanny Fracassi (USF) def. Ana Guzman (RICE) 6-4, 6-4
5. Kimberly Anicete (RICE) def. Lucie Rey (USF) 6-4, 6-0
6. Paula Montoya (USF) def. Stephanie Nguyen (RICE) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Ecaterina Vasenina/Loreto Alonso (USF) def. #43 Natalie Beazant/Dominique Harmath (RICE) 9-8 (7-3)
2. Ana Guzman/Katie Gater (RICE) def. Fanny Fracassi/Kate Parker (USF) 8-1
3. Kimberly Anicete/Stephanie Nguyen (RICE) def. Danielle Mills/Paula Montoya (USF) 9-7
Match Notes:
South Florida 7-4; National ranking #26
Rice 8-3; National ranking #45
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,6,3,2,4,1)
Players Mentioned
