Saturday, February 23
Houston, Texas
1:00 pm
Rice University
vs
UT Arlington
Busy Weekend Ahead for Owls
2/22/2019 2:29:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Rice hots UTA on Saturday and Texas on Sunday
UPDATE: The start time for Saturday's match between Rice and UTA has been pushed back to noon on Saturday.
The Rice women's tennis team will play back-to-back dual matches for the first time this season when they host UTA on Saturday and Texas on Sunday at the George R. Brown Tennis.
First serves are set for 11 a.m. each day, but weather conditions on Saturday could delay the first match and result in an even quicker turnaround time for the Owls when they host Texas on Sunday.
"This is our first weekend of the spring when we are playing back to back dual matches so this will be a good opportunity for us to do that as a team," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "Obviously in the postseason you have to play back to back. Weekends like this are why we train so hard to make sure we are mentally and physically ready to go for the first match and be able to have a quick turnaround and get ready for the second one.
"With the weather for tomorrow, it could even be a quicker turnaround but I think our team is up for the challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing them compete this weekend," she added.
The Owls (5-3) come into the weekend ranked 45th in the first Oracle ITA national rankings and unbeaten in five home duals this year. Michaela Haet is currently ranked 66th in singles, while Priya Niezgoda and Anastasia Smirnova are ranked 49th in doubles.
UTA is 8-1 after a win last Sunday over UTRGV. Rice has won each of the previous nine meetings between the two, but Schmidt knows her team will need to be prepared for a battle to start off the weekend.
"UTA is a solid team that always plays with a lot of energy and fight. We now have a home and home series with them and went up there last year and we had a close match. They are always a good test. They come to the court ready to fight. We played indoors last weekend and have been indoors for practice a lot this week. Hopefully we can stay outside tomorrow and play some long, physical points out here to test our team."
Texas (4-2) is ranked ninth in the Oracle/ITA computer poll and seventh in the Tennis Channel/USTA media poll. The Longhorns have all six singles players in the national rankings in addition to a pair of their doubles teams.
Sunday's match is billed as "Breakfast with the Owls" and the first 100 fans will receive free donuts. Fans will also receive a free ticket to the final game of the Rice baseball series with UC-Irvine which will take place later on Sunday at Reckling Park.
Texas won the first 24 meetings between the two schools until Rice broke through in 2013 with its first win in the series and added a second win in the Longhorns debut at GRBTC in 2016. The last three meetings have ended in 4-3 decisions, with Texas winning two of three.
"We didn't play Texas last year, but the last several matches have all been good, tough battles that have gone down to the last match," Schmidt said. "They are coming in ranked in the top 10 and have a veteran team so it will be a good test for our young team to see where we are against their experience. It's always nice when you can have a top 10 team come in to play at your place. It's a nice opportunity for our team to continue to grow."
The Rice women's tennis team will play back-to-back dual matches for the first time this season when they host UTA on Saturday and Texas on Sunday at the George R. Brown Tennis.
First serves are set for 11 a.m. each day, but weather conditions on Saturday could delay the first match and result in an even quicker turnaround time for the Owls when they host Texas on Sunday.
"This is our first weekend of the spring when we are playing back to back dual matches so this will be a good opportunity for us to do that as a team," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "Obviously in the postseason you have to play back to back. Weekends like this are why we train so hard to make sure we are mentally and physically ready to go for the first match and be able to have a quick turnaround and get ready for the second one.
"With the weather for tomorrow, it could even be a quicker turnaround but I think our team is up for the challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing them compete this weekend," she added.
The Owls (5-3) come into the weekend ranked 45th in the first Oracle ITA national rankings and unbeaten in five home duals this year. Michaela Haet is currently ranked 66th in singles, while Priya Niezgoda and Anastasia Smirnova are ranked 49th in doubles.
UTA is 8-1 after a win last Sunday over UTRGV. Rice has won each of the previous nine meetings between the two, but Schmidt knows her team will need to be prepared for a battle to start off the weekend.
"UTA is a solid team that always plays with a lot of energy and fight. We now have a home and home series with them and went up there last year and we had a close match. They are always a good test. They come to the court ready to fight. We played indoors last weekend and have been indoors for practice a lot this week. Hopefully we can stay outside tomorrow and play some long, physical points out here to test our team."
Texas (4-2) is ranked ninth in the Oracle/ITA computer poll and seventh in the Tennis Channel/USTA media poll. The Longhorns have all six singles players in the national rankings in addition to a pair of their doubles teams.
Sunday's match is billed as "Breakfast with the Owls" and the first 100 fans will receive free donuts. Fans will also receive a free ticket to the final game of the Rice baseball series with UC-Irvine which will take place later on Sunday at Reckling Park.
Texas won the first 24 meetings between the two schools until Rice broke through in 2013 with its first win in the series and added a second win in the Longhorns debut at GRBTC in 2016. The last three meetings have ended in 4-3 decisions, with Texas winning two of three.
"We didn't play Texas last year, but the last several matches have all been good, tough battles that have gone down to the last match," Schmidt said. "They are coming in ranked in the top 10 and have a veteran team so it will be a good test for our young team to see where we are against their experience. It's always nice when you can have a top 10 team come in to play at your place. It's a nice opportunity for our team to continue to grow."
Players Mentioned
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VB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
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VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
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