Rice University
Princeton
Rice Rides Doubles Momentum to Down Princeton
2/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
by Chuck Pool (cpool@rice.edu)
David Warren keyed a late service break in doubles and added his ninth-straight win in singles as the 49th ranked Rice men's tennis team outlasted No. 41 Princeton , 4-3 at the George R. Brown Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon.
"It was a great team effort today,' Rice head coach Efe Ustundag said. "The guys all came through today. Guys who might feel a little frustrated with their singles were the same guys who got us the doubles point."
Warren's return gave the Owls a break at 5-5 on court one to even the doubles at one match each and then Jamie Malik and Tommy Bennett clawed back on court two to force a tiebreaker before winning 7-5 to give Rice the lead.
Ustundag said the spirted battle for the first point of the match was crucial and he credited the crowd for inspiring the Owls' rally and setting a tone that carried over into singles.
"The crowd was a big factor and really helped these guys and what a big point the doubles turned out to be. Tommy and Jamie really didn't play their best but found a way to win and David and Adam played a great match," Ustundag said.
"I have to give a special shout out to our football players who came today," Ustundag said. "They really added to the energy and the way they reacted when David broke at five all was phenomenal. "
As noted, Rice carried the energy level over into singles, taking first sets on four of six courts. Warren and Malik moved the margin to 3-0 with wins on courts one and five, but elsewhere, the Tigers were clawing their way back into the match.
"We really carried the momentum from the doubles point into singles and everyone was doing a good job in the first sets. We looked great the way we stared in singles," Ustundag noted. "Outside of Manny on court six, we had a comfortable lead on every court in the first set, but one thing I would like to see us do better is learn to play with a lead. Really close out these sets when we have a chance."
Princeton struck back with a win on court six, was leading on court two and had sent the match on court three to a third set. It fell to freshman Jake Hansen to stem the tide of the Princeton rally.
He won a crucial deciding point to take a 5-3 lead and then held serve to win 6-3, 6-4.
"Princeton is a heck of a team. They hung in there and found a way to come back," Ustundag stated. "If Jake doesn't wind up taking that fourth point, the match could have gotten very difficult for us."
The win improved the Owls season record to 9-1 and was their third win in four meetings this year with a nationally ranked team. Two of those wins were against teams ranked higher than the Owls and that record will be tested on Sunday when they host No. 26 Texas at noon.
"We've got to put this one behind us because we've got an even bigger one tomorrow," Ustundag stated.
Players Mentioned
