Rice University
UTSA
Women's Tennis Faces Pair of Ranked Foes in Homestand
2/23/2024 10:28:00 AM | Women's Tennis
In Brief: Rice women's tennis is set to host a pair of ranked matches this weekend at the George R. Brown Tennis Center. The Owls will face No. 61 UTSA on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 11 a.m. (CT), before concluding the weekend against No. 12 San Diego on Sunday, Feb. 25, at 11 a.m. (CT).
The Schedule: Saturday - vs. No. 61 UTSA - 11 a.m. CT | Sunday: vs. No. 12 San Diego - 11 a.m. CT
Match Info: The Owls will take on the 61st-ranked Roadrunners on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 11 a.m. (CT), and the 12th-ranked Toreros on Sunday, Feb. 25, at 11 a.m. (CT). Both matches will be held at the George R. Brown Tennis Center.
Live results and a live stream will be available for both matches through RiceOwls.com.
The Owls: Rice is 2-5 this season and was last in action at No. 11 Texas A&M. Despite a 7-0 loss, the Owls stood strong against several ranked opponents as the top three players in Rice's lineup faced opponents ranked in the top 32 of the ITA rankings. Freshman Divna Ratkovic led the way in Rice's effort, forcing a third set against the nation's 32nd-ranked tennis player. Against the top-ranked singles player in the country, senior Federica Trevisan narrowly missed grabbing the opening set.
The Opposition: Rice is 24-0 all-time against UTSA, dating back to the 1982 season, with 15 victories coming at home. The Owls won the last matchup, 4-3, last season in Houston. Then-freshman Darya Schwartzman completed Rice's comeback from 3-1 down, clinching the match with a three-set victory at the fourth position to preserve the Owls' unblemished record in the series. UTSA is 6-1 this season and ranked 61st in the latest ITA rankings, but fell, 4-0, in their last match against UNLV.
The Owls and Toreros have met only one time previously. Rice won the inaugural matchup, 6-1, on Feb. 22, 2007, in San Diego, California. This season, San Diego is 5-2 with wins over top-25 ranked squads in Texas A&M, USC and Arizona State. The Toreros feature a pair of ranked singles players: Claudia de las Heras (No. 69) and Mia Mack (No. 49).
