Orav and Zipoli Lead Owls over No. 30 Charlotte

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Charlotte, NC: Allison Zipoli and Saara Orav won in both singles and doubles to lead Rice to a 4-3 victory over 30^th-ranked Charlotte on Sunday, snapping the 49ers eight-match winning streak and earning the Owls' first win over a top 30 opponent since 2021.

Doubles: Due to cold temperatures, the match was moved indoors and delayed to a late afternoon start. Charlotte started fast, taking the match at the second line before Zipoli and Orav turned the tide on the two remaining courts. Orav and Darya Schwartzman answered with a 6-3 win at the third line, while Zipoli and Diae El Jardi, who are currently ranked 80^th, surged late to take a 6-4 win and grab the crucial first point for the Owls.

Singles: The teams split the first sets of singles and Charlotte ramped up the pressure in the second, winning in straight sets on two of the three courts it held the early advantage while forcing third sets on two of the three courts where Rice held the early lead. Federica Trevisan answered a 49er win at the fourth line with a straight-set win at two. A Charlotte win at the third line to tie the match was offset when Orav, who was down a set and trained 5-4 in the second, rallied to win 7-5 and force a third set. Zipoli shook off her own loss in the second set to win 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 and put Rice back up 3-2. A win by Charlotte at the fifth line accounted for the sixth point, leaving the match in Orav's hands. With the match tied 4-4, the sophomore from Viljandi, Estonia broke Kaavya Sawhney's serve and then served out to win the match and give the Owls' their first top-30 win since they topped 25^th ranked Arizona State at GRBTC on 2/28/21.

Elizabeth Schmidt: "Just a really gritty tough team win. It was an absolute battle to get those 4 points and everyone stepped up to get it done. I'm proud of how our team came out from start to finish today. It was a really good effort by Saara to turn that match around and then seize the moment to win that 4-4 and 5-4 game on her terms to clinch the team win."

Up Next: Rice returns home next weekend for the first of two weekends featuring a pair of ranked opponents. They will host #49 Brown and #59 South Florida next weekend and #36 FIU and #69 SMU the following weekend.

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