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The Rice Thresher
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by ERIC RAUB THRESHER STAFF
The Owls went 2-2 between March 23 and April 2, a span that included an upset victory over 54th-ranked Texas A&M University and a win over Texas Tech University. However, it also included losses to No. 42 Tulane University and the University of Arkansas, ranked 52nd. The four matches marked the beginning of the Owls' final stretch before the Western Athletic Conference Championships later this month, and it has proven as difficult as they expected. Following the win over the Aggies on March 23, Rice ran into a tough Tulane team on March 26. The Owls were missing two players, senior Elle Lewis and freshman Stephanie Moat, due to illness, but they didn't make any excuses for the 8-0 loss. "They are probably the second or third best team that we've played all season," head coach Paul Blankenship said. "We were missing two people, and they were very, very good." Rice bounced back against Texas Tech on Saturday by handing the Red Raiders a 7-2 loss. Lewis returned to win her eighth straight singles match and junior Erin Waters won her seventh of eight against a short-handed Tech squad. "Texas Tech is a little down," Blankenship said. "They've lost some people - I know of one [game] they lost to a transfer that used to play No. 1 for them. We kind of took advantage of that, but they're getting stronger. It was nice to go 2-0 against Big 12 teams." Rice fell 5-1 to Arkansas the next day, a team the Owls said is likely one of the toughest they'll play all season. "Arkansas is a Top 25 team," Blankenship said. "I think they are stronger than Tulane. Arkansas and Vanderbilt are probably the best two teams we've faced." However, the Owls said they may have learned some lessons against Arkansas that will serve them well as their season winds to a close. "They were a really scrappy team," Waters said. "They went after balls and made us work for every point. We had to raise our level of game to play with them and hopefully that raise in level of play will help us toward the end of the season." Blankenship said the Owls have identified their strengths and weaknesses and are working on improving the former while eliminating the latter. "The things that hurt us the most are injury and illness," Blankenship said. "But the thing that's really impressed me is our competitiveness. We have not always played well but we have always been competitive. The intangibles that I've been looking at are in place. [If] we get everybody back and healthy, we can be as dangerous as we proved against A&M." Their first chance to do so comes today, when they host 43rd-ranked University of Oregon. "We should be pretty healthy from here on out," Blankenship said. "We're facing a lot of teams that could be excellent opportunities. We need to focus on our opportunities at home. The thing that we need to do is control the things that we can control." At the top of that list is winning the WAC Tournament and earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. "We've got a tall order," Blankenship said. "Our real goal is to win the WAC tournament. I think that's the only way we could get into the NCAA tournament. It's a tough league - all but two of the teams in the WAC are ranked or have been in the rankings at one time." But the Owls are confident that they are capable of putting up a good showing at the WAC Tournament. "I really think we have a great chance," Waters said. "These are all teams we've beaten in the past. It's not like we have to beat the No. 1 team in the nation to get there. It's a totally realistic goal." - back - |
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