SAN ANTONIO — No. 23 Rice won all but one match against UTSA on Friday and the Owls cruised to a 6-1 victory at the George R. Brown Tennis Center.
Fernanda Astete and Savannah Durkin blanked Lina Hallgren and Charlene Tiwari by a score of 6-0 on the third court and Alison Ho and Priya Niezgoda followed with a 6-2 decision against Denisa Ibrahimovic and Sonia Madronal Medina to put the Owls (6-2) on top, 1-0.
Rice then handed the Roadrunners (4-3) five losses in singles play with Miriam Rosell Canudas picking up UTSA's lone win with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph against Lindsey Hodge on center court. Rosell Canudas now is unbeaten in her seven outings in dual match competition this spring.
Wendy Zhang swept past Ibrahimovic, 6-0, 6-0, at the second position in the lineup and that was followed by Niezgoda's 6-1, 6-4 victory against Kylee Kato on court six. Durkin then clinched Rice's 11th all-time win in as many tries against the Roadrunners with her 6-2, 6-3 triumph against Tiwari.
UTSA will remain in the Bayou City to face Colorado (7-2) at noon on Saturday.
#23 Rice, UTSA 1
Doubles
1. Hodge/Zhang (RICE) vs. Kato/Rosell Canudas (UTSA) 5-1, unfinished
2. Ho/Niezgoda (RICE) def. Ibrahimovic/Madronal Medina (UTSA) 6-2
3. Astete/Durkin (RICE) def. Hallgren/Tiwari (UTSA) 6-0
Singles
1. Miriam Rosell Canudas (UTSA) def. Lindsey Hodge (RICE) 6-3, 6-4
2. Wendy Zhang (RICE) def. Denisa Ibrahimovic (UTSA) 6-0, 6-0
3. Fernanda Astete (RICE) def. Laura Cabrera (UTSA) 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-3)
4. Alison Ho (RICE) def. Lina Hallgren (UTSA) 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (10-1)
5. Savannah Durkin (RICE) def. Charleen Tiwari (UTSA) 6-2, 6-3
6. Priya Niezgoda (RICE) def. Kylee Kato (UTSA) 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,6,5,1,4,3)