Rice University
Texas Tech
Owls Fall toTexas Tech
3/5/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
by Chuck Pool (cpool@rice.edu) -
Alison Ho and Priya Niezgoda extended their doubles winning streak to seven matches with a win over the 33rd ranked team in the nation, but #8 Texas Tech became the first team to take the doubles point against the Owls this year and rode that momentum to a 4-0 win on Sunday.
Ho and Niezgoda downed Gabriela Talaba and Felicity Maltby of Tech, 6-3, but the Red Raiders fought back to take the match's first point with 6-4 wins on the other two courts to take an early lead. Tech took five of six first sets in singles, with Fernanda Astete Rice' lone winner in the first set. Katherine Ip and Savannah Durkin each rebounded from first set losses to extend their matches, but Tech closed out the decision with straight set wins on courts one, two and five to snap the Owls' (8-3) four-match winning streak.
"Our team fought and had some chances, especially in those three matches that were still on but credit to Texas Tech. They played a consistently solid match and won more of the big points today," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "As we head into the second half of the season, we'll use this experience to help us continue to improve and we look forward to our match with Texas next week."
Rice vs Texas Tech
3/5/2017 at Lubbock, Texas
(McLeod Tennis Center)
#8 Texas Tech 4, #29 Rice 0
Singles competition
1. #11 Gabriela Talaba (TTU) def. Wendy Zhang (RICE) 6-4, 6-1
2. #32 Felicity Maltby (TTU) def. Lindsey Hodge (RICE) 6-3, 6-3
3. Sarah Dvorak (TTU) vs. Katherine Ip (RICE) 6-3, 3-6, 1-0, unfinished
4. #106 Alex Valenstein (TTU) vs. Fernanda Astete (RICE) 2-6, 5-4, unfinished
5. Sabrina Federici (TTU) def. Alison Ho (RICE) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
6. Katelyn Jackson (TTU) vs. Savannah Durkin (RICE) 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 0-1, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #23 Sabrina Federici/Sarah Dvorak (TTU) def. Wendy Zhang/Lindsey Hodge (RICE) 6-4
2. Priya Niezgoda/Alison Ho (RICE) def. #33 Gabriela Talaba/Felicity Maltby (TTU) 6-3
3. Alex Valenstein/Alba Cortina-Pou (TTU) def. Savannah Durkin/Katherine Ip (RICE) 6-4
Match Notes:
Rice 8-3; National ranking #29
Texas Tech 9-3; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,2,5)
T-2:30 A-131
Players Mentioned
