The Rice women’s tennis team will face Texas Christian University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, according to an April 27 announcement. The match is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Second-round play is set for Sunday at 2 p.m.
This matchup follows a previous meeting between Rice and TCU earlier this season, where Rice lost 4-0 on February 1 in Fort Worth. The last time Rice defeated TCU was on February 6, 2019, with a decisive 6-0 win at the George R. Brown Tennis Center.
Rice secured its spot in the NCAA Tournament after winning the American Conference championship last weekend. This marks the team’s second consecutive appearance in the national tournament. In addition to Rice, two other American Conference teams—Wichita State and Charlotte—also received at-large bids to compete.
Head coach Elizabeth Schmidt said, “I am excited for our team to be able to compete in the NCAA Tournament. We earned it the hard way, going through North Texas, Charlotte and Wichita State in our conference tournament. We felt all season that we have a team that can make the tournament and do some damage. Now it’s time to go to work and do that.”
As preparations continue for their opening match against TCU, expectations are high following their recent conference success.
