Rice University
Katherine Ip vs. Paige Hourigan
Ip Rallies Late to Earn All-American Status
5/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
By Chuck Pool (cpool@rice.edu) -
TULSA, OK-- Katherine Ip stared down elimination and responded with wins in four consecutive games to upset Georgia Tech's Paige Hourigan in three sets and earn All-American honors while advancing to the Round of 16 at the NCAA Women's Singles Championship on Thursday at the Case Tennis Center.
Down 5-3 in the third set to the 39th ranked Hourigan, Ip converted a pair of key deuce points, including a lengthy rally to break Hourigan's serve in the 10th game. Her second straight service break gave her a 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 and join Wendy Wood (1985 & 86) and Natalie Beazant (2013 & 2015) as the only Owls to earn All-American honors in singles.
"Another great effort by Kat today," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "She stayed composed, was resilient, and found a way when her back was against the wall."
Hourigan came out the gate blazing in the first set, taking an early 4-0 lead on her way to a 6-2. In the second, the two players remained on serve in the early going before Ip broke the Georgia Tech sophomore in the eighth game. Hourigan broke back to close to 5-4 but Ip answered that with another break to even the match at one set each.
In the third, Ip and Hourigan used breaks to trade the lead, but after a break and hold in the seventh and eighth games, Hourigan seemed poised to close out the match before Ip summoned up one last rally for the win.
In doubles action, Ip and freshman Emily Smith extended UCLA's seventh-ranked duo of Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips to a deciding third set before falling 7-5, 5-7, 10-5.
In three matches in Tulsa, Ip has been extended to the limit in each. She will look to match Beazant's 2013 run to the quarterfinals at 10 a.m. on Friday when she faces Georgia's 28th ranked Kennedy Shaffer.
"We are excited for her that she has joined the elite group of All-Americans and are looking forward to her getting back out there tomorrow." Schmidt added.
