WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Playing its seventh national top-40 opponent of the year, the William and Mary women's tennis team suffered a 7-0 setback to No. 30 Rice on Friday afternoon at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center. The Green and Gold fell to 3-12 on the season, while the Owls upped its ledger to 11-5.
With the lineup already ravaged with injuries and added injuries, the Tribe started the match in the hole and was forced to default both the No. 3 doubles point and No. 6 singles positions with only five players available. The Owls jumped out top 2-0 as Rice's No. 2 doubles team of Alison Ho and Dominique Harmath won to clinch the initial point of the match followed by the default win at No. 6 singles.
Wins at the No. 5 and No. 3 singles positions clinched the team victory for the visiting Owls. Kimberly Anicete upended sophomore
Julia Casselbury, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 5, before Katherine Ip, who is ranked No. 83 nationally, cemented the team victory with a 6-0, 6-1 win over freshman
Nabila Farah at No. 3.
Rice's Liat Zimmerman defeated senior
Sydney Smith, 6-2, 6-2, at the No. 4 post, while Harmath won a match-up of nationally-ranked players at No. 2, downing senior
Maria Belaya, 6-3, 6-2. Harmath entered the match ranked No. 120 nationally, while Belaya was No. 113.
At the top singles position, sophomore
Leeza Nemchinov rallied from a 4-0 first-set deficit to force a tiebreaker against No. 72-ranked Natalie Beazant. The Owls' top player pulled out the first-set tiebreaker and then picked up the victory a 6-0 win in the second set.
The Tribe returns to action with its second straight match against a nationally-ranked opponent, hosting No. 52 Yale on Sunday, March 30. The contest carries an 11 a.m. start time from the Millie West Tennis Facility. In the case of inclement weather on Sunday, the match with the Bulldogs could be moved indoors to the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center. Stay tuned to TribeAthletics.com for updated information.
#30 Rice 7, William and Mary 0
Singles
No. 2 – #120 Dominique Harmath (Rice) def. #113
Maria Belaya (W&M) – 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 – #83 Katherine Ip (Rice) def.
Nabila Farah (W&M) – 6-0, 6-1
No. 4 – Liat Zimmerman (Rice) def.
Sydney Smith (W&M) – 6-2, 6-2
No. 6 – Rice won by default
Finishing Order: 6, 5, 3*, 4, 2, 1
Doubles
No. 1 – #55 Beazant/Zimmerman (Rice) vs. Farah/Smith (W&M) – DNF, 6-0
No. 2 – Harmath/Ho (Rice) def. Casselbury/Nemchinov (W&M) – 8-1
No. 3 – Rice won by default
Finishing Order: 3, 2*
