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The Rice Thresher
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by ERIC RAUB THRESHER STAFF The women's tennis team enjoyed a rare vacation over midterm recess, playing just one dual match. But the Owls, who lost a tight 4-3 decision to the University of Houston March 7, were disappointed with the way their break turned out. "That was a tough one," freshman Jerilynn Gonzales said of the UH match. "As a team we almost had it." The match went down to the wire as the 65th-ranked Cougars broke a 3-3 tie at the end of singles play with wins at the top two doubles spots. The Cougars had to pull the match from the Owls' grasp after the momentum swung wildly between the two cross-town rivals. "It was a funny match," head coach Paul Blankenship said. "The momentum went back and forth the whole time. We were up 2-0 in matches, then they went up 3-2. We went up 4-1 at No. 2 and 3 doubles. They came back at No. 2. It just went back and forth." Despite the loss, the Owls shined in certain areas, especially with their more experienced players - senior Elle Lewis, junior Erin Waters and sophomore Judith Hagedorn - playing very well at the top three singles slots against a team that is very strong at the top. Lewis won 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 at the top spot and Waters took a 7-6, 6-0 victory at the No. 2 spot. Hagedorn dropped a tough 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 decision at the No. 3 spot. "The upperclassmen played outstanding tennis," Blankenship said. "Hagedorn played very hard and lost a tough match. Lewis and Waters played extremely well. They had a tremendous day." The long break also gave senior Charlotte Feasby, who has been sidelined since Feb. 18 with a sprained left knee, a chance to make headway in her recovery. Feasby, one of the Owls' top players in both singles and doubles, could be back on the court as soon today, when Rice hosts the University of Texas at San Antonio. "Charlotte is coming along better," Blankenship said. "She's using her judgment on this. She wants to play against UTSA in doubles. We're going to look at that. She's very eager to play, but we've got to be careful." The up-and-down Owls, just 6-6, believe they can still turn things around in time to make a good showing at the Western Athletic Conference Championships in April. But first Rice must face a barrage of ranked opponents in the final month and a half of the season. The tough schedule, which includes matches against ranked teams such as Texas Christian University and the University of Oregon, could give the Owls trouble. But a couple of upsets would go a long way in getting them back on track. "We have lots of opportunities against TCU, Tulane, Texas A&M and Oregon, all ranked and all before the WAC tournament," Blankenship said. "Those would help determine if we got back in the rankings, and Charlotte will make a difference." Gonzales said Feasby's return, combined with a little better luck, may be all the Owls need. "It's been kind of a frustrating season," Gonzales said. "But we've still got a good shot. We're still really talented and we're going to get Charlotte back. Some of the chips just need to start falling our way. "I think we can do it. It's just been little things that have cost us dual matches, but we can do it." - back -
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu |
