The Basics
• Scores: Rice-7, Johns Hopkins-0
• Records: JHU (1-3) • RU (9-6)
• Location: Houston, TX • George R. Brown Tennis Center
• The Short Story: The Johns Hopkins women's tennis team fell to host Rice, 7-0, on Tuesday on a day that celebrated the life of Ralph C. O'Connor, longtime benefactor of both Universities.
 
How it Happened
• Rice grabbed the doubles' point with a sweep of the doubles matches. Priya Niezgoda and Anastasia Smirnova opened with a 6-0 win over sophomore Anjie Kashyap and junior Sophia Strickland at first. Diae El Jardi and Linda Huang then beat senior Kimberly Zou and senior Dhanya Asokumar, 6-1, at second. Victoria Smirnova and Anna Bowtell closed out doubles' play with a 6-2 win over senior Katie Gauch and freshman Evelyn Chang.
• Anastasia Smirnova picked up the first singles' point when she beat Strickland 6-0, 6-4 at second. Bowtell followed with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Zou at third to stake Rice to a 3-0 lead. Niezgoda defeated Asokumar 6-0, 6-1 at fourth to secure the win.
• Victoria Smirnova then beat Kashyap 6-2, 6-1 at first. Linda Huang followed with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Gauch at sixth. El Jardi closed out the match with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Chang at fifth.
 
What it Means
• Today's match was the Blue Jays' second against a Division I opponent this season. It was also the first-ever meeting between Hopkins and Rice.
 
Up Next
• Hopkins is back in action on Wednesday, March 20 as the Blue Jays take on the Trinity (TX) Tigers in Houston at 12:00 pm CT.