Women's tennis flies high at UTEP
The women's tennis team returned home exultant this weekend after capturing the University of Texas at El Paso Spring Shootout title this past weekend in El Paso.
"This was a really good win for us," Assistant Coach Emily Schaeffer said. "We played some really difficult teams, and we were able to come out on top."
The Shootout began on Friday as Rice took on the hosts of the tournament.
The Owls took eight of the nine matches, their effort marred only by a loss from the top doubles team, Paula Myslivecek and Jessica Gagnon.
Rice dominated in the six singles spots, winning each of them 6-0, 6-0.
The second match on Saturday against the University of Alabama at Birmingham was a much more formidable challenge.
The Owls defeated the 37th- ranked team in the country by a narrow 5-4 margin.
The Owls lost in the top three singles spots to nationally- ranked players but recovered to pull out the victory in a strong finish.
It all came down to the final match between the two schools' number-three doubles teams.
Rice was down 6-3 in the final set but played aggressively and escaped with a victory.
With a 6-3 victory over New Mexico State, Rice was able to capture the UTEP Spring Shootout title.
The match was more notable for the enviromental conditions than the actual play.
A strong wind adversely affected the action, but the Owls had a solid win through their powers of concentration.
Myslivecek, Gagnon and Jennifer Velasco each won two and lost one on the weekend, and the doubles teams went 7-2 during the tournament.
The Owls now have a record of six wins and five losses.
In the SWC, the Owls have upset 30th-ranked Texas A&M University for a record of one win and one loss.
This Saturday, the Owls host Baylor University in an SWC match for the last time.
The match begins at 11 a.m. at the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium.
The Owls defeated the Lady Bears 5-4 last year in Waco.
-- Shay Gilmore contributed to this article.
This item appeared in the Sports section of the March 22, 1996 issue.
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