Rice University
Prairie View A&M
PREVIEW - Men's Tennis to Start 2024 Dual Season with Doubleheader Versus Prairie View A&M
1/12/2024 2:54:00 PM | Men's Tennis
In Brief: Rice men's tennis is set to kick off the 2024 dual match season with a home doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 13, against Prairie View A&M at the George R. Brown Tennis Center.
The Schedule: Saturday - Prairie View A&M - 11 a.m./3 p.m. CT
The Owls: Rice finished the 2022-23 season at 12-10 overall. The Owls defeated two nationally ranked squads on the year, defeating both No. 68 New Mexico and No. 34 UTSA, 4-3. Rice's season ended in the first round of the Conference USA Championships. Rice returns four players from last season's squad who each posted eight or more singles victories during the 2023 dual match season. Junior Emir Sendogan and sophomore Kabeer Kapasi led the Owls with 11 singles victories apiece last season, while sophomore Santiago Navarro and senior Trinity Grear posted nine and eight wins, respectively. Incoming transfer Arthus de la Bassetiere also posted nine singles victories while playing last season at Gonzaga. The Owls also return senior Yasha Zemel, who advanced to round of 32 at the ITA Texas Regional and delivered a clinching point in last year's season opener. Redshirt sophomore Haoyuan Huang returns from injury after being named C-USA Freshman of the Year in 2022, while junior Eduardo Morais tied for a team-best seven tour victories during the 2023 fall season.
The Opposition: Prairie View A&M opened its 2024 campaign with a pair of road losses at SMU on Thursday. The Panthers finished the 2023 season at 2-20, falling in the opening round of the SWAC Championships.
Rice is 16-0 all-time against Prairie View A&M. The Owls' first recorded matchup against the Panthers came in a 6-0 win on Jan. 27, 2006. The two sides last faced off on Jan. 22, 2022, resulting in a 7-0 Owl victory. Rice has hosted all 16 matches in the series.
Players Mentioned
