Rice University
South Florida
Women's Tennis Sweeps South Florida, Advances to AAC Semifinals
4/19/2024 3:34:00 PM | Women's Tennis
HOUSTON, Texas — In the program's first appearance at the AAC Championship, Rice women's tennis defeated fifth-seeded South Florida, 4-0, in the quarterfinal round at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex. The fourth-seeded Owls will face top-seeded SMU in the semifinals tomorrow at 10 a.m. (CT).
Doubles: The Owls pounced on the doubles point with a pair of wins at the second and third positions. At court two, junior Saara Orav and sophomore Darya Schwartzman combined for the 6-3 victory before freshmen Anushka Ashar and Divna Ratkovic clinched the opening point with a 6-4 win at the third position. At the top spot, graduate senior Chie Kezuka and senior Federica Trevisan were tied, 5-5, when the point was clinched.
Singles: In singles, the Owls never relented, completing the sweep with a trio of straight-set victories. At the third position, Ratkovic became the first Owl to close out her match, scoring a 6-0, 6-2 victory. Trevisan then put Rice on the verge of victory with a 6-0, 6-2 win at the top spot in the lineup. With multiple players closing in on the deciding point, Orav won the race at the fifth position to post a 6-3, 6-2 win and send the Owls into the semifinals. At the time the match was clinched, Schwartzman led, 6-2, 5-2, at the second position and Kezuka led, 6-3, 5-4, at the fourth position.
The win was Rice's second sweep of the Bulls this season and advances the Owls into the semifinals of the conference tournament for the 21st straight season. Rice reached the semifinals in its final three seasons in the WAC (2003-05) and all 17 seasons in Conference USA (2006-23). The Owls will face top-seeded SMU in the AAC semifinal round tomorrow at 10 a.m. (CT).
Head coach Elizabeth Schmidt: "That was another solid total team victory. It was nice to see us gut out that tough doubles point and carry the momentum into singles. And, everyone did a good job keeping their foot on the gas from start to finish."
Up Next: Rice faces top-seeded SMU in the semifinal round of the AAC Championships tomorrow at 10 a.m. (CT) at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex. Live video and results are available for the match via the Rice women's tennis schedule page.
The Owls and Mustangs will meet for the 45th time on Saturday. SMU won in Dallas, 4-1, earlier this season and holds a 26-18 record all-time in the series. The Mustangs have won the past five meetings. SMU carries an 11-11 record on the year and defeated ninth-seeded UTSA, 4-1, in the quarterfinals. SMU is ranked 45th in the latest ITA rankings and has a trio of wins this season over ITA-ranked competition.
Players Mentioned
