Rice University
Texas A&M
Tiebreaker Heart Breaker Ends Owls' NCAA Dreams
5/11/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
by Chuck Pool (cpool@rice.edu) -
In a match that featured multiple hairpin turns in momentum, the 40th ranked Rice women's tennis team saw its valiant rally come up short in the deciding third set tiebreaker when 30th ranked Texas A&M was awarded a penalty point on a third overrule to win the tiebreaker, 8-6 and the match 4-3.
"There were a lot of momentum shifts today," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "We started out fast in singles and then they fought back and had some opportunities, then we fought back and put ourselves in a position to win, but in the end it went the other way."
The Aggies blasted out of the gates in doubles, taking the point while dropping only three combined games on courts two and three. Two years earlier, Rice dropped the doubles point to No. 31 Clemson in the NCAA opener, and Schmidt challenged her team to fashion a similar effort today.
"I challenged them to leave it all out there and show they believed in themselves and each other. They clearly believed, but it just didn't go our way," Schmidt stated.
Rice made an early statement in singles, taking four of six first sets in singles.
Lindsey Hodge capped her Rice career by picking up her first singles win in the NCAA Tournament and Michaela Haet added a second win in straight sets to knot the match at 2-2.
Texas A&M answered with a three-set win at the fourth position and seemed to be cruising to the clinching point with tjhird sets leads of 5-2 over Wendy Zhang at the second position and 4-1 over Savannah Durkin on six .
However the two seniors rallied, with Zhang winning the next five games to take a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 over 86th ranked Macarena Olivares and Durkin racing to a 5-4 lead. Serving at deuce for the match, Durkin and A&M's Iulia Ivascu engaged in a marathon 33-shot point before Ivascu nailed a winner to tie it back up at 5-5.
After Ivascu held her serve to go up 6-5, Durkin rallied to force a tiebreaker where she took a 6-5 lead before Ivascu battled back to tie. On the first point after the second changeover, Durkin called a shot by Ivasu wide, but was overruled for the third time, and the automatic penalty point provided the margin of victory.
The Owls close the season at 15-9 and their three seniors (Durkin, Hodge and Zhang) will make the drive back to Houston tonight to participate in commencement exercises.
"They can all leave the courts today with their head held high," Schmidt said. "They left it all on the court, just as they have all during their careers. We are really grateful to Rice and to our program and we are sad to say goodbye to them."
Rice vs Texas A&M
5/11/2018 at Austin, Texas
(Texas Tennis Center)
#30 Texas A&M 4, #40 Rice 3
Singles competition
1. Lindsey Hodge (RICEW) def. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M) 6-2, 6-2
2. Wendy Zhang (RICEW) def. #86 Macarena Olivares (A&M) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
3. Michaela Haet (RICEW) def. Eva Paalma (A&M) 6-1, 7-6 (7-2)
4. Riley McQuaid (A&M) def. Fernanda Astete (RICEW) 6-0, 0-6, 6-4
5. Tatiana Makarova (A&M) def. Anna Bowtell (RICEW) 6-4, 7-5
6. Iulia Ivascu (A&M) def. Savannah Durkin (RICEW) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (8-6)
Doubles competition
1. #62 Eva Paalma/Domenica Gonzalez (A&M) vs. #58 Lindsey Hodge/Wendy Zhang (RICEW) 4-3, unfinished
2. Tatiana Makarova/Macarena Olivares (A&M) def. Priya Niezgoda/Fernanda Astete (RICEW) 6-1
3. Iulia Ivascu/Riley McQuaid (A&M) def. Savannah Durkin/Michaela Haet (RICEW) 6-2
Match Notes:
Rice 15-9; National ranking #40
Texas A&M 17-10; National ranking #30
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,5,3,4,2,6)
2018 NCAA Championships - First Round
T-3:38
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
1,5,3,4,2,6
Players Mentioned
