Rice University
Marshall
Ip Adds Herd to Clinch Streak
3/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Katherine Ip extended her streak of clinching points to four as the Rice women's tennis team took advantage of an unexpected change in the weather and downed Marshall 5-2 in the Conference USA opener for both schools at the George R. Brown Tennis Center on Wednesday afternoon.
The Owls (7-7/1-0) and Herd (11-5/0-1) had anticipated moving the first dual meeting between the two schools since 2008 indoors after morning rain showers passed through Houston. But when the teams arrived at the Galleria Tennis and Athletic Club to begin their warmups, the skies cleared and the match was moved back outdoors and on the Rice campus.
"I thought our team did a really nice job of being adaptable today," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "Good teams are able to adapt to changing circumstances and things don't always go as you plan over a long season. The best teams learn how to roll with it and go out and play. "
Once the teams hit the courts, the Owls jumped out quickly, taking the doubles point by sweeping all three matches, then having 23rd ranked Natalie Beazant and freshman Savannah Durkn drop only three combined games while picking up straight set wins on courts one and five, setting the stage for Ip to deliver her fourth consecutive clinching victory.
"Katherine just goes out there and takes care of business," Schmidt stated. "She's very calm and confident on the court, so that's not shocking to see that she's the one who clinches the match, shakes her opponents' hand and then gets ready for her next match. She comes ready to play every day. Every point counts the same at the end of the day , but it's been nice to see how she worked through some struggles earlier in the year. She's really found her footing now and is playing some good, quality tennis."
The win over the 62nd ranked Herd opens a stretch of three matches in the next five days, with Yale up next on Friday and then 34th ranked William and Mary on Sunday as well as the first for the Owls against a C-USA rival who will be back at the GRBTC in late April for the C-USA Championships.
"It was nice to get a win over a conference opponent who always fights very hard in every match," Schmidt noted. "Marshall has always been one of the top teams in the conference, but interestingly we've always been on the other side of the draw since 2008, so we've not met in a few years. They have traditionally been one of the top programs in Conference USA over the years so it was good to get the win."
Tennis Match Results
Marshall vs Rice
3/18/2015 at Houston, Texas
(George R. Brown Tennis Club)
#55 Rice 5, #62 Marshall 2
Singles competition
1. #23 Natalie Beazant (RICE) def. Derya Turhan (MAR) 6-1, 6-0
2. Katherine Ip (RICE) def. Maddie Silver (MAR) 6-2, 6-1
3. Anna Pomyatinskaya (MAR) def. Lindsey Hodge (RICE) 6-2, 6-1
4. Liat Zimmermann (RICE) def. Kai Broomfield (MAR) 1-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6)
5. Savannah Durkin (RICE) def. Marija Bogicevic (MAR) 6-1, 6-1
6. Rachael Morales (MAR) def. Solomiya Zinko (RICE) 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-7)
Doubles competition
1. #67 Natalie Beazant/Liat Zimmermann (RICE) def. Anna Pomyatinskaya/Derya Turhan (MAR) 8-7 (7-2)
2. Alison Ho/Lindsey Hodge (RICE) def. Marija Bogicevic/Kai Broomfield (MAR) 8-6
3. Solomiya Zinko/Savannah Durkin (RICE) def. Maddie Silver/Rachael Morales (MAR) 8-2
v
Match Notes:
Marshall 11-5/0-1; National ranking #62
Rice 7-7/1-0; National ranking #55
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,5,3,2,4,6)
T-3:20
Players Mentioned
