Rice University Athletics
Owls Open C-USA Play at 9 a.m.
4/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 15, 2009
Elizabeth Schmidt's Rice Owls have earned the fifth seed and will open play in the 14th-annual Conference USA Women's Tennis Championships at 9 am on Thursday when they face 12th-seeded Southern Miss.
Thurday's opening matches were originally slated for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., but the start times have been moved up to 9 and noon, due to the forecast of rain for later in the day in the Houstton area.
The Owls (11-11) will be looking to continue a streak of reaching at least the semifinals in each of their four seasons as a member of C-USA. They have finished in a tie for third in each of the last two years after taking the team title in their inaugural appearance in 2006. Overall, Rice has reached the semifinals of its conference tournament in women's tennis for six consecutive years since finishing in a tie for fifth in 2002.
Last year, the Owls entered the tournament as the third seed and defeated Houston, 4-3 to move into the semifinals before falling to Marshall, 4-3.
This is the first time Rice has hosted the C-USA Women's Tournament. The school hosted the men's championships in 2007 and last hosted a women's conference tournament in 2004 as members of the WAC.
Tournament play opens on Thursday with four matches and the winner of those matches advance to face the four top seeds who received a bye in the first round. The top four seeds this year are SMU, two-time defending champion Tulsa, Marshall and Houston.
Matches will be played at the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium and the Rice University Recreation Courts. Should weather dictate, matches will be moved indoors to the Galleria Tennis & Athletic Club.
To follow all the action in the 2009 C-USA Women's Tennis Tournament, including live match scoring and updates on schedules in case of rain, please visit the C-USA Men's Championship Central web page. Updates are also available by following the Owls on Twitter ( @riceowlsdotcom) .
