RUSTON – Louisiana Tech rides its eight-game winning streak into Houston this weekend as the Bulldogs will play a pair of matches versus UNLV and No. 59 Rice.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Match One
Saturday, March 1 | 11 a.m. CT | LA Tech vs. UNLV
Match Two
Sunday, March 2 | 11 a.m. CT | LA Tech at Rice
 
Location: George R. Brown Tennis Center (Houston, Texas)
Live Video: LATechSports.com/TennisStream
Live Stats: LATechSports.com/TennisStats
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (9-2)
LA Tech extended its winning streak to eight this past Saturday with a dominant 4-0 shutout victory against in-state rival Northwestern State.  The team coupled the doubles point with straight-set singles wins on courts one, two, and four.
 
The Bulldogs are a combined 38-17 in dual singles, led by Zoie Epps who has a team-best 10-1 record.  Ana Rodrigues, the reigning CUSA Athlete of the Week, has clinched the last three matches against North Texas, ULM, and NSU at the No. 1 spot.  The longest winning streak belongs to Alice Brook who has won six straight playing at the No. 6 position. 
 
In dual doubles, LA Tech is a combined 21-8 having won the doubles point in all nine matches they have won.  Epps and Rodrigues have teamed up to win six straight on court one while the freshman duo of Brook and Maria Tsironi own a team-best 8-3 record. 
 
ABOUT UNLV (7-2)
UNLV, under the new leadership of first-year head coach Tetiana Luzhanska, opened the spring season winning its first six matches, but the Rebels have dropped two of their last three matches to Colorado as well as a narrow 4-3 loss to No. 52 Penn State this past Sunday.  So far, they have played all nine dual matches at home in Las Vegas.
 
The Rebels are 36-12 in dual singles as a team including a combined 16-1 at the No. 4 and No. 5 positions.  Winning in those spots have been Kaho Oyama who has yet to lose this spring, owning an 8-0 record, and Nikol Mircheva who is 8-1.  
 
UNLV has been dominant in dual doubles as well, combining for a 19-4 record.  The Rebels have yet to lose at the No. 1 spot, going 8-0 with the duo of Mircheva and Hanna Vinahradava.
 
UNLV is an established program, winning 16 matches last season while also reaching the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship.  They are also just two years removed from claiming the MWC Tournament title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Saturday will mark the first ever meeting between LA Tech and UNLV on the courts.
 
ABOUT RICE (6-4)
Rice enters the weekend ranked No. 59 in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).  The Owls opened the spring winning four of their first five including victories over Big 12 foes Arizona and Houston.  However, the team then lost three straight before snapping their losing streak with a 4-1 road win at Kansas State.
 
The Owls are a combined 32-15 in dual singles so far including a 7-2 mark at both the No. 1 and No. 5 positions.  Darya Schwartzman is the top Owl, accumulating that 7-2 record at the No. 1 spot.  Meanwhile, Fernanda Martinez has the best dual record at 6-0 playing on courts five and six.
 
In dual doubles, Rice is a combined 16-8 this spring.  The duo of Saara Orav and Francesca Maguina are a perfect 7-0 together playing primarily at the No. 3 position. 
 
The Owls, who are regularly ranked in the top 75 in the country, are looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.
 
Sunday will mark the 10th meeting between LA Tech and Rice.  The Owls have won all nine matchups in the series including a 5-2 win in Houston last season.
 
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