The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Rice
Women's Tennis tops Rice, 5-2
02.17.2008 | Women's Tennis
AUSTIN, Texas -- No. 26 Texas (3-1) dropped the doubles point but responded with five singles victories to claim a 5-2 victory over Rice Sunday afternoon at UT's Penick-Allison Tennis Center.
Texas' Vanja Corovic (Belgrade, Serbia) and Marija Milic (Etobicoke, Ontario) scored an 8-3 win at first doubles, but the Owls took the doubles point with an 8-6 win at the third slot and a tiebreak win at second doubles to take a 1-0 lead.
UT freshman Maggie Mello (Laguna Hills, Calif.) put Texas on the board with a 6-2, 6-2 win at fifth singles over Rice's Emily Braid, but Rice regained the lead with a win at third singles. UT freshman Caroline Larsson (Sodertalje, Sweden) evened the match at two points apiece with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Rebecca Lin at fourth singles, and sophomore Stephanie Davison (Port Orchard, Wash.) put the Longhorns up for good with a 7-6, 6-1 win over Tiffany Lee at the second slot.
Sophomore Sarah Lancaster (San Antonio, Texas) dropped the first set at sixth singles to Varsha Shiva-Shankar, 6-2 before rallying to take the second set, 6-3. Lancaster outlasted Shiva-Shankar in the final set, 6-4, to clinch the match for Texas.
Corovic dropped her first set at first singles to Rice's Julie Chao and saved four match points in the second set before taking the set to force a third, where she prevailed, 6-2.
Texas resumes competition on Friday, Feb. 22 against William & Mary at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center.
No. 26 Texas 5, Rice 2
Doubles - Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
1. Corovic/Milic (UT) def. Chao/Karas (RU) - 8-3
2. Lee/Lin (RU) def. Mello/Zauft (UT) - 9-8
3. Braid/Shiva-Shankar (RU) def. Lancaster/Larsson (UT) - 8-6
Singles - Order of Finish: 5, 3, 4, 2, 6, 1
1. Vanja Corovic (UT) def. Julie Chao (RU) - 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2
2. Stephanie Davison (UT) def. Tiffany Lee (RU) - 7-6, 6-1
3. Dominique Karas (RU) def. Courtney Zauft (UT) - 6-4, 6-2
4. Caroline Larsson (UT) def. Rebecca Lin (RU) - 6-3, 6-1
5. Maggie Mello (UT) def. Emily Braid (RU) - 6-2, 6-2
6. Sarah Lancaster (UT) def. Varsha Shiva-Shankar (RU) - 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
