Owls Earn 9th Consecutive NCAA Bid
5/3/2021 8:12:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Face Michigan at 10 a.m. on Friday
The Rice women's tennis team has earned a ninth consecutive berth in the NCAA Championship and will play Michigan in the first round of the Baton Rouge Regional at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 7.
Rice (15-6 and ranked 40th in the Oracle/ITA computer rankings and 39th in the coaches poll) earned an at-large berth for the third time in their current streak, but the first when the Owls did not advance to the Conference USA Championship. C-USA earned three spots in the NCAA field. Old Dominion earned the automatic bid as conference champions and Florida International, who lost to the Monarchs in the championship match after defeating Rice in the semifinals, received an at-large berth.
Host LSU, the 12th seed in the championship, will face Boston University in the second match of the regional. Winners from Friday's first round will meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday for the right to advance to the NCAA Championships in Orlando, Florida.
This will mark the first meeting between Rice and Michigan (17-3). The Wolverines, who were ranked 23rd in the computer rankings and 18th in the coaches poll, upset #17 Northwestern to reach the finals of the Big Ten tournament last weekend.
"If you don't win your conference tournament, you are on the bubble waiting to see what will happen," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "I'm excited for our student-athletes. They have worked tremendously hard and have had a solid season. I felt like they deserved the opportunity to go play in the national tournament. This team has been so resilient. There was COVID-19 and then there was the winter storm. Every team has had their challenges this year, but I am so proud how we have responded to the adversity, gotten back to work and represented Rice University with class. I excited for them to get back on the court together.
"Our conference has gotten deeper over the past several years. It's great to have three teams in this year and we had other teams in the rankings. It says a lot about where our conference his headed and a testament to coaches and student-athletes of Conference USA," Schmidt added.
This marks the 13th appearance overall for the Owls, who are 6-12 in NCAA Championship action. All six wins have come under Schmidt (6-8). The Owls have won at least one match in five of their previous eight NCAA appearances under Schmidt, highlighted by a pair of wins in 2012 at the Oxford Regional to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
Women's tennis is the third women's team at a Rice to qualify for the NCAA postseason, joining volleyball and soccer. The Owls' soccer team has advanced to the Sweet 16 where they will face Virginia on May 5. In addition, women's basketball won the WNIT.
Rice (15-6 and ranked 40th in the Oracle/ITA computer rankings and 39th in the coaches poll) earned an at-large berth for the third time in their current streak, but the first when the Owls did not advance to the Conference USA Championship. C-USA earned three spots in the NCAA field. Old Dominion earned the automatic bid as conference champions and Florida International, who lost to the Monarchs in the championship match after defeating Rice in the semifinals, received an at-large berth.
Host LSU, the 12th seed in the championship, will face Boston University in the second match of the regional. Winners from Friday's first round will meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday for the right to advance to the NCAA Championships in Orlando, Florida.
This will mark the first meeting between Rice and Michigan (17-3). The Wolverines, who were ranked 23rd in the computer rankings and 18th in the coaches poll, upset #17 Northwestern to reach the finals of the Big Ten tournament last weekend.
"If you don't win your conference tournament, you are on the bubble waiting to see what will happen," Rice head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "I'm excited for our student-athletes. They have worked tremendously hard and have had a solid season. I felt like they deserved the opportunity to go play in the national tournament. This team has been so resilient. There was COVID-19 and then there was the winter storm. Every team has had their challenges this year, but I am so proud how we have responded to the adversity, gotten back to work and represented Rice University with class. I excited for them to get back on the court together.
"Our conference has gotten deeper over the past several years. It's great to have three teams in this year and we had other teams in the rankings. It says a lot about where our conference his headed and a testament to coaches and student-athletes of Conference USA," Schmidt added.
This marks the 13th appearance overall for the Owls, who are 6-12 in NCAA Championship action. All six wins have come under Schmidt (6-8). The Owls have won at least one match in five of their previous eight NCAA appearances under Schmidt, highlighted by a pair of wins in 2012 at the Oxford Regional to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
Women's tennis is the third women's team at a Rice to qualify for the NCAA postseason, joining volleyball and soccer. The Owls' soccer team has advanced to the Sweet 16 where they will face Virginia on May 5. In addition, women's basketball won the WNIT.
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