Friday, May 7
Baton Rouge, LA
10 AM
Rice University
1
vs
4
Michigan
Michigan Holds Off Owls
5/7/2021 1:19:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Rice finishes 15-7
Baton Rouge: The Rice women's tennis team fought its way into position for a stirring comeback win, but Michigan answered the Owls challenge in third sets of singles to close out a 4-1 win at the Baton Rouge Regional of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship.
Doubles: Maria Budin and Diae El Jardi jumped out early at the first line, but Michigan leverage early breaks at the second two lines into leads the Wolverines would not relinquish and clinch the first point. Budin and El Jardi were up 5-3 and 40-0 when the point was clinched, sending Rice into singles looking to win for the fourth time in NCAA play after dropping the doubles point.
Singles: Michigan grabbed four of six first sets, giving the Owls an even steeper hill to climb. After the Wolverines grabbed a win at the first line to go up 2-0, Linda Huang won the last three games of her second set to take a straight-set win at the fourth line and cut the lead to 2-1. Victoria Smirnova and Federica Trevisan kept the Owls hopes alive by forcing third sets at the second and third lines, but Michigan closed out the fifth line to extend the lead to 3-1 and forced a third set on five and then close the match with a win at two.
Notable:
Elizabeth Schmidt: "We kind of ran out of time. I talked to the team before the match about leaving it all on the court, fighting for every point and I think we did that. We were in battles deep into the third sets, but credit to Michigan for a solid match. There's been a lot of sacrifice by this team this year and I am really proud of how they put it all out there today. Really proud of Linda for getting that point on the board. We talk a lot about keeping the pressure on when we have the opportunity. When you do that (win in straight sets), you're keeping your foot on the accelerator and crossing the finish live. It's super important and provides a different feel for everyone else still on the courts."
Doubles: Maria Budin and Diae El Jardi jumped out early at the first line, but Michigan leverage early breaks at the second two lines into leads the Wolverines would not relinquish and clinch the first point. Budin and El Jardi were up 5-3 and 40-0 when the point was clinched, sending Rice into singles looking to win for the fourth time in NCAA play after dropping the doubles point.
Singles: Michigan grabbed four of six first sets, giving the Owls an even steeper hill to climb. After the Wolverines grabbed a win at the first line to go up 2-0, Linda Huang won the last three games of her second set to take a straight-set win at the fourth line and cut the lead to 2-1. Victoria Smirnova and Federica Trevisan kept the Owls hopes alive by forcing third sets at the second and third lines, but Michigan closed out the fifth line to extend the lead to 3-1 and forced a third set on five and then close the match with a win at two.
Notable:
- Rice fell to 6-13 in NCAA Championship action overall and 6-9 under Elizabeth Schmidt.
- The Owls are now 6-9 all-time vs. the Big Ten, 1-1 in NCAA Championship play.
- Rice finished 14-8 in doubles and won all 14 matches when the Owls captured the initial point… Rice registered its first win when dropping the doubles point in 12 matches when the Owls stormed back to defeat Wichita State on February 26.
- Linda Huang's win was her first in NCAA singles competition.
Elizabeth Schmidt: "We kind of ran out of time. I talked to the team before the match about leaving it all on the court, fighting for every point and I think we did that. We were in battles deep into the third sets, but credit to Michigan for a solid match. There's been a lot of sacrifice by this team this year and I am really proud of how they put it all out there today. Really proud of Linda for getting that point on the board. We talk a lot about keeping the pressure on when we have the opportunity. When you do that (win in straight sets), you're keeping your foot on the accelerator and crossing the finish live. It's super important and provides a different feel for everyone else still on the courts."
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
WBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09
VB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02