Solo Looks to Add a Fourth
4/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
By Chuck Pool (cpool@rice.edu)
Solo Zinko holds a special distinction among her Rice women's tennis teammates, in that she is the only one who has played in a Conference USA championship without the challenge of defending the team title.
The lone senior on the three-time defending champions who opens play in the 2016 C-USA tournament at 10 a.m. on Friday against Southern Miss, Zinko was a key part of a team that ended the run of another three-time champion in her freshman year as the Owls finally toppled Tulsa in 2013.
Friday she will begin what she hopes will be a successful pursuit of a fourth consecutive crown, which would put her and the Owls in rarefied air. No team has won the C-USA Women's Tennis title four consecutive years and Zinko would also become the first individual to capture four titles.
Should Zinko be the first to do so makes perfect sense to her head coach.
"I think Solo's been instrumental in the growth of our program," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "It's been a nice steady climb and Solo has been a huge part of that. Her work ethic, her determination, her perseverance, her resilience, have helped create a solid culture and foundation. I feel very strongly that we would not be where we are today without Solo."
As a freshman, Zinko was a newcomer to the rivalry that had developed between Rice and Tulsa, one that had seen the Golden Hurricane eliminate the Owls in the previous three C-USA tournaments. She was well aware of the significance of the match.
"I definitely knew how important that match was to us and went out there giving my all that day just like any other match and trying me best to win for the team and for Rice," Zinko recalled.
Zinko and doubles partner Daniella Trigo delivered the crucial doubles point by outlasting their Tulsa opponents 8-6 to give the Owls a 1-0 lead. "Dany (Trigo) and I played many matches together that year so it was a lot of fun coming back and winning that doubles match. We definitely enjoyed the big fist pumps that came along after winning important points near the end of that match," Zinko added.
She had a rougher start in singles, dropping the first set, but used the time between sets to calm her nerves then came out strong in the second set to even the match and she was still playing on court six when Katie Gater delivered the clinching point.
"After Katie clinched, I was prancing at the net shouting at my opponent to walk over to the net faster so I could shake her hand and run over to my teammates in the huddle," Zinko recalled. "(It was) one of my best memories here at Rice."
In a rematch as a sophomore against Tulsa, this time indoors at Old Dominion, she and Katherine Ip saw their match abandoned when the Owls stormed to the first point with wins on one and two. She then watched Ip delivered the clinching point in singles to give the Owls back-to-back titles.
Last year, playing at the Owls sparking new home, the George R. Brown Tennis Center and against a new opponent in Marshall, Zinko again found her doubles match abandoned, but this time the clinching honor was left to her as she finished just ahead of Ip.
"Last year our expectations at the tournament were different. Being the first seeds we were expected to win the championship so clinching the championship was definitely a great relief," Zinko said.
Clinching key points has become routine for Zinko, who earlier in the year clinched the Owls second win ever over Texas--while running her own career mark to 3-0 against the Longhorns.
While she is aware of the milestones that are three wins away, Zinko knows she must stick to the same formula that has translated into three consecutive titles. Focus only the next match on the schedule.
"Championships are not given, they're earned," Zinko stated. "At the end of the day, the win will come down to whoever wants it and is whiling to work for it more the day of the match. We just need to go out there, put the record aside, stay present in the moment and hopefully everything works out in our favor."
Schmidt said she hopes the Owls can fashion more signature moments in her career this weekend.
"I'm looking forward to sending her out into the real world on a high note as far as tennis is concerned," Schmidt said. "But whatever happens, she's been awesome in everything she's done for our program and the leader she's become is truly fabulous."
Players Mentioned
