April 5, 2008
DALLAS (SMU)--The No. 41 women's tennis pair in the country, Natalia Bubien and Pavi Francis, won its fifth-straight match Saturday, defeating No. 56 Rice's Julie Chao and Dominique Karas, 8-2, in the first women's tennis match held at the new Turpin Tennis Stadium.
Bubien and Francis dominated Chao/Karas at the No. 1 spot, notching the newly-ranked pair's fifth-straight win.
"Natalia and Pavi have really been unstoppable," said head coach Lauren Longbotham-Meisner. "They continue to play well together at No. 1 and I'm very pleased with their effort today."
Nicole Briceno and Kristen Reid fought at the No. 2 position, but were unable to overcome Tiffany Lee and Rebecca Lin. The third doubles slot marked the season debut of Sarah Acosta, who paired with Jordan Hamilton, but the duo fell to Emily Braid and Varshs Shiva-Shankar.
In singles, Bubien battled through a tough match with Chao, but came out on the wrong side of a 6-4, 6-3 decision. Francis was defeated at No. 2 in straight sets, while Kristen Reid forced a close match at No. 3, but fell to Lee.
Also making her collegiate debut was Lindsay Norman, who recently joined the team. Norman played at No. 5 singles, falling to Braid, 6-4, 6-2. Acosta didn't fare any better at No. 6, losing to Shiva-Shankar in straight sets.
Briceno had a close match at No. 4 and was the last off the courts. Briceno dropped the first set to Lin, 6-4, but rallied to take the second, 6-4. In the decisive third set, Briceno lost, 10-7, in the super tie-breaker.
"Rice is a great team," said Longbotham-Meisner. "It was just a tough day for us out there today. We'll try to bounce back Thursday. We got solid efforts from Sarah and Lindsay, who were playing their first collegiate tennis matches. And we got another great effort by Nicole. It was her fourth three-set match in a row, and I'm proud of the way she has continued to battle this season."
The Mustangs host Arkansas State this Thursday, April 10 at 2pm at the Turpin Tennis Stadium before closing out their regular season against Louisiana-Lafayette next Sunday, April 13. For the complete schedule and results, log on to SMUMustangs.com.
Rice Owls vs Southern Methodist
4/5/2008 at Dallas, Texas
#56 Rice Owls 7, Southern Methodist 0
Singles competition
1. Julie Chao (RICE) def. #88 Natalia Bubien (SMU) 6-4, 6-3
2. Dominique Karas (RICE) def. Pavi Francis (SMU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Tiffany Lee (RICE) def. Kristen Reid (SMU) 6-3, 7-5
4. Rebecca Lin (RICE) def. Nicole Briceno (SMU) 6-4, 4-6, 10-7
5. Emily Braid (RICE) def. Lindsay Norman (SMU) 6-4, 6-2
6. Varsha Shiva-Shankar (RICE) def. Sarah Acosta (SMU) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. #41 Natalia Bubien/Pavi Francis (SMU) def. Julie Chao/Dominique Karas (RICE) 8-2
2. Tiffany Lee/Rebecca Lin (RICE) def. Nicole Briceno/Kristen Reid (SMU) 8-2
3. Emily Braid/Varsha Shiva-Shankar (RICE) def. Jordan Hamilton/Sarah Acosta (SMU) 8-1
Match Notes:
Rice Owls 16-4; National ranking #56
Southern Methodist 8-9
