Rice University
Florida International
Durkin's Forehand Makes Rice a Five-Time Champion
4/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
by Chuck Pool (cpool@rice.edu) -
Denton, TX--As the seesaw battle for the 2017 Conference USA Women's Tennis Championship seemed to be trending towards the challengers from Florida International, Rice's Savannah Durkin showcased the result of countless hours of practice, unleashing a forehand winner past the Panthers Ulyana Grib and allow the Owls to capture a fifth consecutive title at the Waranch Tennis Complex on Sunday.
With the Owls leading 3-1, but having been extended to third sets on two courts, including hers, and in danger of doing the same on the last remaining match, Durkin put an end to the drama to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 and allow Rice to match Houston's men's golf team as the only schools in the history of the conference to win five consecutive postseason crowns. The Cougars took the top spot from 1997-2001.
The fifth consecutive crown also matched the Rice men's team (1969-72) for the most consecutive conference titles in tennis.
"Savannah's worked really hard on that shot," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "She's spent a lot of hours on that shot and I was so proud of her. But that was just trademark Savannah and Rice Tennis."
After a sluggish start in doubles in Friday's quarterfinals, the Owls made an early statement in Saturday's semifinal win over North Texas with a fast start and repeated the effort on Sunday against the 40th ranked Panthers.
Durkin and Katherine Ip, who had rallied from a 5-4, 40-0 deficit on Friday, needed no such heroics on Sunday, racing to a 6-0 win over Mina Markovic and Gabriela Ferreira. Lindsey Hodge and Wendy Zhang followed closely behind with a 6-2 win on court one to give the Owls the early lead.
"Doubles at one and three gave us a really fast start and it was good to see us improve each day of the tournament," Schmidt said. "The intensity we brought today in doubles was good We talked about being committed and sticking with what we do and I thought we did that. We played on our terms in doubles and that carried over into singles at the start."
The 37th ranked Owls (18-5) rolled to four first set wins in singles, but FIU, which lost for only the second time in 23 decisions, served notice that their intent to dethrone the champions would not be so easily deflected. They tied the score with a win on four but Ip put Rice back ahead to stay with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Maryna Veksler, the Panthers resistance stiffened.
"FIU is a great team and they were not just going to roll over and go away," Schmidt stated. "They fought back but we held our nerves and stuck to what we have been doing."
That was no more evident that on court five where Durkin found herself in early trouble.
"Savannah got down 3-0 and ended up losing 6-4," Schmidt said. "She had already asserted herself in that first set even though she didn't win it. The momentum was changing. She's such a warrior and competitor."
Zhang put the Owls to within one point of the clinch, setting the stage for Durkin's clinching effort and the post-match celebration. The win was Durkin's eighth in C-USA Championship play, with one match unfinished and it allowed seniors Ip and Alison Ho to join with 2016 senior Solomiya Zinko as the only players in C-USA history to play for four C-USA Champions.
Schmidt said it was a fitting tribute to the pair.
"Their dedication, their work ethic, how much they care is unbelievable. We are fortunate that we've had them for four years . We're going to miss them, but I'm happy we get to play more tennis with them and represent Rice in the NCAA Tournament. "
The conference title also clinched the Owls sixth straight berth in the NCAA, where they have advanced to at least the round of 32 in each season. The field for the NCAA Championship will be announced on May 2, with competition taking place from May 12-14.
No. 2 FIU Panthers vs No. 1 Rice
4/23/2017 at Denton, TX
(Waranch Tennis Complex)
#37 No. 1 Rice 4, #40 No. 2 FIU Panthers 1
Singles competition
1. #110 Lindsey Hodge (RICE) vs. #39 Andrea Lazaro (FIU) 6-4, 5-7, 3-1, unfinished
2. Katherine Ip (RICE) def. Maryna Veksler (FIU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Wendy Zhang (RICE) def. Mina Markovic (FIU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Nina Nagode (FIU) def. Fernanda Astete (RICE) 6-2, 6-2
5. Savannah Durkin (RICE) def. Ulyana Grib (FIU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
6. Alison Ho (RICE) vs. Gabriela Ferreira (FIU) 6-0, 0-6, 4-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #90 Lindsey Hodge/Wendy Zhang (RICE) def. Nina Nagode/Andrea Lazaro (FIU) 6-2
2. Alison Ho/Priya Niezgoda (RICE) vs. Ulyana Grib/Maryna Veksler (FIU) 2-5, unfinished
3. Savannah Durkin/Katherine Ip (RICE) def. Mina Markovic/Gabriela Ferreira (FIU) 6-0
Match Notes:
No. 2 FIU Panthers 21-2; National ranking #40
No. 1 Rice 18-5; National ranking #37
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (4,2,3,5)
Players Mentioned
