The Texas women’s tennis team escaped their Saturday match against Rice with a 4-0 sweep, but the Longhorns had a close call in doubles matches.

On doubles court No. 1, the freshmen duo of Kylie Collins and Lulu Sun struggled at the beginning of the first set in their match against Rice junior Diae El Jardi and sophomore Maria Budin. Collins and Sun got off to a slow start in the match, abnormal considering their usual fast starts.

Sitting at a 3-3 tie, Collins and Sun got back to business as usual. The pair, now ranked No. 10 in doubles, did not let up another point for the remainder of the set. With an absolute bullet of a return from Sun, the duo closed the match 6-3 and secured a doubles win for the Longhorns.

Senior Marta Perez Mur returned to the doubles courts today for the first time since March 4 against UTSA. In her last doubles match, she and Kylie Collins finished with a commanding 6-3 win over their opponents.

However, Perez didn’t get as lucky on Saturday in her return to doubles on court No. 3. Paired with freshman Peyton Stearns, the two fought hard but were unable to notch a win for the Longhorns and fell to Rice in a 6-4 defeat.

With the doubles matches tied 1-1, all attention shifted to doubles court No. 2 where seniors Fernanda Labraña and Anna Turati, now ranked No. 80 in doubles play, fought for the doubles point.

Showing tremendous poise under pressure, the duo maintained a comfortable lead throughout the set and secured a clutch doubles point for the Longhorns, trumping Rice’s Michaela Haet and Linda Huang 7-5.

After falling down to a singles match rank of No. 26, Turati played with a chip on her shoulder and something to prove on singles court No. 2.

In an absolutely dominant first set, the senior floated around the court as if she knew where the ball would be before her opponent, senior Anna Bowtell, even had a chance to return it.

In the first rally of the second set, the experienced Turati seemed to have total control over the court. Attacking Bowtell’s weak backhand, Turati ultimately forced her into a mistake to take the first lead of the set.

Maintaining her assertive style of play, Turati cruised to a 6-0 victory over Bowtell, claiming the first singles point of the day for the Longhorns and improving her overall record to 12-2.

After an impressive Red River Rivalry weekend against Oklahoma, Stearns bumped up to No. 31 in the singles match rankings. On singles court No. 1 against Rice, Stearns overcame a slow start to take the first set in a 7-6 win over Rice’s Haet.

In a no-look return that seemed to defy the laws of physics, Stearns took the first lead in the second set. Although Stearns had just seemed to find her rhythm, the match was abandoned with a final score of 7-6, 1-1, as the Longhorns had already secured the match victory.

With three dominant singles wins from Labraña, Turati and freshman Malaika Rapolu, the Longhorns managed a perfect 4-0 win over Rice.