Friday, January 25
Houston, Texas
3:00 PM
Rice University
vs
UTA
Full Slate of Tennis on Tap for Owls
1/24/2019 6:46:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Fresh off an opening sweep of matches last Sunday, the Rice men's tennis team will close out its opening five-match homestand with three duals over four days at the George R. Brown Tennis Center.
The Owls (2-0) kick things off on Friday at 3 p.m. when they host UT-Arlington. They will join with the Rice women's team for the first of two "Double Trouble" days in 2019 when they host UTRGV while the women face off against Sam Houston State on Sunday at 11 a.m. The homestand draws to a close on Monday at 11 a.m. with a dual against Western Michigan.
Team Poster Day: All fans attending Sunday's combined match will receive team posters for both the men's and women's teams and the Owls will host a post-match autograph session. Rice will also host a youth tennis clinic after the conclusion of the matches on Sunday.
About UT-Arlington: The Mavericks opened their season last Friday, dropping a 7-0 decision to 11th-ranked Baylor in Waco. They are led by senior Guanarteme Nuez, the 2018 Sun Belt Player of the Year, who qualified for the NCAA singles championship last year and ITA All-American tournament in the fall. The Mavericks also have a formidable doubles duo in Nuez and Mauricio Del Rio. The two advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA Texas regional in October.
About UTRGV: The Vaqueros are 1-1 heading into a double header with Texas A&M and Prairie View on Saturday. They opened the season with a 4-0 loss to UAB and then posted a 4-1 win over Alabama State. UTRGV is coming off an 11-13 that saw them reach the semifinals of the WAC tournament.
About Western Michigan: The Broncos captured the 2018 MAC regular season and tournament titles, ending the season 22-5 and ranked 74th in the nation. They are 2-1 on the season, but will play in the ITA Kickoff Weekend at Texas A&M before closing out their Texas trip with the match at Rice. They will meet #9 Texas A&M at 3 p.m. on Saturday with the winner facing the winning team of #16 Virginia and California on Sunday. The losers of each match will also meet on Sunday.
Rice head coach Efe Ustundag knows his team has a challenging assignment over a short period over the next four days.
"Each of these matches bring its own challenges. UTA is a veteran team led by a player who made the NCAA tournament and has been nationally-ranked. Our matches with them have always been very tough and I expect nothing less on Friday. UTRGV beat us last year in the season opener and while I know our guys are looking forward to playing them, the focus right now is all on UTA. Western Michigan will be coming here after playing two top programs at the ITA Kickoff and while it will be their third match in as many days, I know we will get their best effort to close out the trip and head home with a win."
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