Rice University
NCAA Championships
Harknett's Collegiate Career Ends NCAA Singles Championships
5/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
May 24, 2007
ATHENS, Ga. -- Rice's Ben Harknett saw his collegiate career come to a close on Thursday afternoon with a tough 7-6 (4), 7-5 loss to fifth-seeded and sixth-ranked Steven Moneke of Ohio State in the second round of the NCAA men's tennis singles championship in Athens, Ga.
After a slow start, the 38th-ranked Harknett stormed back from a 5-1 deficit in the first set to take a 6-5 lead. The Buckeye rallied to force a tiebreak where he edged the Owl to take the opening stanza. In the second frame, Harknett picked up the pace to build a 4-2 advantage before Moneke responded by winning three-straight games to take a 5-4 lead. Harknett continued to battle, holding serve to make it 5-5, but Moneke stayed solid to hold on for the decision.
Harknett finishes his final collegiate campaign with a 17-14 mark in singles after making his first appearance in the NCAA individual championships. During his career, he helped the Owls to the 2004 Western Athletic Conference crown, a pair of Conference USA second-place finishes and four-consecutive NCAA team championship bids.
Players Mentioned
