Rice University
Tulsa
Rice Beats Tulsa, Lamar
4/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 8, 2006
HOUSTON -- The 34th-ranked Rice men extended their win streak to 10 with a 5-2 victory over 32nd-ranked Tulsa and a 6-1 win against Lamar on Saturday at the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium.
The day began with the Owls jumping out to an early lead against the Golden Hurricane, taking the doubles point with wins at the one and two positions. The 19th-ranked Rice tandem of Robert Searle and Tony Haerle struck first, dropping Federico Soriano and Will Gray 8-5 at the top spot. Ralph Knupfer and Filip Zivojinovic the clinched the point with their 9-8 (5) win against Andy Connelly and Ross Cunningham at two. Ben Harknett and Christoph Müller were leading 6-5 when their match was suspended.
Searle struck quickly again at number-one singles, beating Soriano 6-4, 6-0. After the Hurricane got on the scoreboard with a pair of wins at four and five, Müller put the Owls up 3-2 with his 6-0, 6-3 victory against Connelly at number six. Knupfer then downed Ricardo Soriano 6-2, 6-3 to clinch the Owls' ninth-straight team victory. Harknett held off Alek Charpantidis 6-3, 7-6 (5) to score the final point.
In the nightcap, Rodrigo Gabriel and Jason Mok dispatched Lamar's Maciej Bogusz and Wesley Arnold 8-1 at number two doubles. The Cardinals took the win at one and had appeared to have the upper hand at three, leading 7-4. The Owls' Searle and Roland Robb didn't give up though, rallying back against Brett Sticker and Tyler Cobb to tie the score at 7-7. After trading games, the Rice pair held on in the tiebreaker for the win and clinched the doubles point.
The Owls stayed solid in singles, recording five straight-set victories to take the team win. Mok and Müller highlighted the singles action, both posting 6-0, 6-0 victories, with Mok beating Hays at number three and Müller downing Cobb at six.
The victories improve Rice's record to 15-5 on the year. The Owls make their final home appearance on Wednesday when they host third-ranked Texas at 2:30 pm, followed by a match with Abilene Christian at 7:30 pm.
Results
No. 34 Rice 5, No. 32 Tulsa 2
Doubles
1. No. 19 Searle/Haerle (RU) def. F. Soriano/Gray (TU), 8-5
2. Knupfer/Zivojinovic (RU) def. Connelly/Cunningham (TU), 9-8 (5)
3. Harknett/Müller (RU) vs. Charpantidis/Maasdorp (TU), 6-5, DNF
Singles
1. No. 35 Robert Searle (RU) def. No. 112 Federico Soriano (TU), 6-4, 6-0
2. Ben Harknett (RU) def. Alek Charpantidis (TU), 6-3, 7-6 (5)
*3. Ralph Knupfer (RU) def. No. 102 Ricardo Soriano (TU), 6-2, 6-3
4. Will Gray (TU) def. Tony Haerle (RU), 6-4, 6-4
5. Diego Camacho (TU) def. Filip Zivojinovic (RU), 6-4, 7-5
6. Christoph Müller (RU) def. Andy Connelly (TU), 6-0, 6-3
Order of finish: D1, D2, S1, S5, S4, S6, S3*, S2
No. 34 Rice 6, Lamar 1
Doubles
1. Kanczula/Bogusz (LU) def. Knupfer/Zivojinovic (RU), 8-2
2. Mok/Gabriel (RU) def. Hays/Arnold (LU), 8-1
3. Roland Robb/Searle (RU) def. Sticker/Cobb (LU), 9-8 (6)
Singles
1. Filip Kanczula (LU) def. No. 35 Robert Searle (RU), 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (3)
2. Tony Haerle (RU) def. Maciej Bogusz (LU), 6-2, 6-2
3. Jason Mok (RU) def. Evan Hayes (LU), 6-0, 6-0
*4. Rodrigo Gabriel (RU) def. Wesley Arnold (LU), 6-1, 6-0
5. Ralph Knupfer (RU) def. Brett Sticker (LU), 6-0, 6-1
6. Christoph Müller (RU) def. Tyler Cobb (LU), 6-0, 6-0
Order of finish: D2, D1, D3, S6, S5, *S4, S3, S2, S1
Players Mentioned
