Rice Women’s Tennis Competes Across Three Events This Weekend, Targeting NCAA Berths

Rice Women’s Tennis Players Compete in Three Tournaments Across Three Cities This Weekend

Rice’s women’s tennis team will split across three postseason events this weekend, with singles players Uma Bakaityte and Nithesa Selvaraj chasing NCAA Championship berths while three teammates represent the Owls at a collegiate invitational, Rice Athletics reported.

Bakaityte Opens in Rome Against Michigan

Bakaityte will compete at the ITA Conference Masters in Rome, Georgia, from Thursday through Sunday after receiving an at-large bid as an alternate when the Big West did not have a women’s singles representative. She enters the tournament as the runner-up at the American Individual Championships, where she lost to Wichita State’s Xin Tong Wang. Bakaityte faces Michigan’s Reese Miller at 1 p.m. Thursday, with the top two singles finishers qualifying for the NCAA Singles Championship.

Selvaraj Heads to Fort Worth Sectionals

Selvaraj was selected for the ITA Sectionals in Fort Worth, Texas, based on her World Tennis Number, and will play TCU’s Cristina Sierra in the round of 32 at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The tournament runs Thursday through Sunday, with the top 12 women’s singles finishers advancing to the NCAA Championship.

Three Owls Travel to Nashville Invitational

Divna Ratkovic, Ema Mravcova and Darya Schwartzman will compete at the June Stewart Invitational hosted by Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, from Friday through Sunday. Rice joins Vanderbilt, Missouri, Belmont, Lipscomb, Western Kentucky and Mississippi State at the event, opening with singles at 9 a.m. The Owls will play doubles at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.

NCAA Berths on the Line for Two Singles Stars

Bakaityte and Selvaraj will look to join Ratkovic, who has already qualified, at the NCAA Singles Championship. Ratkovic’s qualification means Rice could send two players to the national tournament if either Bakaityte or Selvaraj finishes in the required top positions at their respective events this weekend.