Tennis Drops Decision to Rice

DENTON – Despite winning the doubles point UNT Tennis fell 4-1 to Rice at home. Senior pair Lucie Devier and Maria Ponomareva claimed victory over a ranked Rice duo to clinch the doubles point.
 
DOUBLES

• Devier and Ponomareva played a dramatic, nearly tied match from start to finish.  They won 7-6 with a 7-6 tiebreaker against No. 30 ranked doubles pair Diae El Jardi and Maria Budin.
• After winning their first game, Saki Oyama and Liisa Vehvilainen fell 2-6.
• In the third position Jasmine Adams and Sophia Hummel fell behind losing the first two games but quickly bounced back. They won the next six games for a 6-2 victory.

 
SINGLES

• Oyama battled through both sets falling in set one 3-6, after bouncing back at the beginning of set two the sophomore from Japan fell 2-6.
• Adams struggled to find her footing in the first position and fell 2-6, 1-6
• Ponomareva put up a fight in both sets, but was nipped 4-6 and 3-6.
• Hummel stumbled 2-6 and 3-6 in the sixth position.
• Vehvilainen fell in her first set 4-6 but bounced back in set two winning 6-1. This forced a third set that was left unfinished at 0-1.
• Devier resisted in the second position bringing her first set to a tiebreaker, she ultimately fell 6-7. Set two was met with another back-and-forth battle that was left unfinished at 5-6.

 
QUOTABLE

• "The energy was amazing overall," junior Sophia Hummel said. "We got over the hump and dominated in doubles. We were right there in singles and fighting hard on each court, but it was not enough today. Moving forward, we need to capitalize on the leads so we come out winning."

 
UP NEXT

• The Mean Green will be home at Waranch Tennis Facility on Saturday, March 19^th. They will face VCU at 11 a.m. CT. Admission is free.

 
DOUBLES RESULTS
1. Lucie Devier/Maria Ponomareva (UNT) def. Diae El Jardi/Maria Budin (RICE) 7-6 (6-5)
2. Anastasia Smirnova/Allison Zipoli (RICE) def. Saki Oyama/Liisa Vehvilainen (UNT) 6-2
3. Jasmine Adams/Sophia Hummel (UNT) def. Victoria Smirnova/Federica Trevisan (RICE) 6-2

Order of Finish: (2, 3, 1)

SINGLES RESULTS
1. Federica Trevisan (RICE) def. Jasmine Adams (UNT) 6-2, 6-1
2. Lucie Devier (UNT) vs. Anastasia Smirnova (RICE) 6-7 (6-5), 6-5, unfinished
3. Allison Zipoli (RICE) def. Maria Ponomareva (UNT) 6-4, 6-3
4. Anna Bowtell (RICE) def. Saki Oyama (UNT) 6-2, 6-1
5. Liisa Vehvilainen (UNT) vs. Maria Budin (RICE) 4-6, 6-1, 0-1, unfinished
6. Saara Orav (RICE) def. Sophia Hummel (UNT) 6-2, 6-3

Order of Finish: (4, 1, 3, 6)