Rice University
UTSA
UTSA Fends of Final Charge in Thrilling GRBTC Debut
1/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Thomas Stillman of UTSA stormed back from a 4-1 third set deficit to defeat Rice's Srikar Alla 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (8) to give the Roadrunners a tense 4-3 win over Rice in the inaugural dual match at Owl's new George R. Brown Tennis Center in Houston on Friday.
After trailing for the entire afternoon, the Owls (0-1) were poised to send fans home with an opening result in their first taste of action at their new $8 million complex on par with so many memorable matches that were the hallmark of their former home, Jake Hess Tennis Stadium.
Sophomore David Warren shook staged his own rally from a 4-1 deficit to win the last 12 games of his match at No. 5 singles and square the match, but the 42nd ranked Stillman put an end to the Owls hopes by fighting off a match point for Alla in the tiebreaker and winning the last three points.
Head coach Efe Ustundag said the Owls dug themselves an early hole that proved too steep to overcome.
"With all the excitement of the opening of the new center, we may have dealt with some nerves," Ustundag said. "We could have used that excitement more to our advantage and played with a little more energy and emotion at the start, but we did not. We did a good job at No. 1, but 2 & 3 were too flat. Doubles is a sprint, one set and no ad, there is no time to build the emotion for later. "
Down 1-0 heading into singles, the Owls were able to tie it when sophomore Zach Yablon won in straight sets, but UTSA responded with wins on courts 3 & 4 to take a 3-1 advantage.
Freshman Jamie Malik cut the margin to 3-2 with a win on court 2, turning the attention to opposite ends of the courts to determine the final outcome.
While Alla took his second set and raced to a 4-1 lead in the third on court 1, Warren rebounded from a first set tiebreak loss and a slow start in the second to knot the match at 3-3.
"I think what really kicked in for David was the difference in his fitness level this year compared to last," Ustundag said. "He's now able to extend these matches and use his physicality to take over a match. It was great that he held it together and finished the match because at that point the pressure was really building up."
The Owls will be back on the courts on Sunday morning to face No. 60 Cornell, who will face off against UTSA on Saturday.
"It's another challenge," Ustundag said. "It will be interesting to see how the match between UTSA and Cornell goes tomorrow. I know we will be pushed. With a day to think about this result, I expect to see us come out with the kind of emotion we need for the start of doubles so we can set things right."
Players Mentioned
