Rice women鈥檚 tennis is gearing up for the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Baton Rouge this weekend, secured by winning the American Conference Tournament. The Owls, under head coach Elizabeth Schmidt, are making their 11th NCAA playoff appearance and face No. 20 TCU on May 2. They are positioned as the No. 3 seed in a regional led by No. 1 seed LSU, while previously facing TCU this season, they lost 4-0. In their historical matchups, Rice holds a record of 6-14 in NCAA tournaments, with their last victory dating back to 2016.

By the Numbers
  • Rice is 2-6 when losing the doubles point this season.
  • Elizabeth Schmidt was named Women鈥檚 Coach of the Year in the American Conference.
State of Play
  • Rice recently secured an automatic NCAA bid by winning the American Conference Tournament.
  • The Owls will play back-to-back rounds if they advance from Saturday's match against TCU.
What's Next

Should Rice defeat TCU, they will advance to compete in the second round on May 3 against either LSU or SFA, aiming for their first NCAA tournament win since 2016.

Bottom Line

Rice women鈥檚 tennis must leverage their recent conference success and strong individual performances to break their NCAA tournament slump and secure a critical win against TCU.