Rice University
Alabama
Men's Tennis to Play in Blue Gray National Tennis Classic
2/22/2024 11:38:00 AM | Men's Tennis
In Brief: Rice men's tennis heads to Montgomery, Alabama, to participate in the 76th annual Blue Gray National Tennis Classic. The Owls will begin the weekend by playing No. 19 Alabama on Friday, Feb. 23, at 12:30 p.m. (CT). Rice will then play either No. 31 Princeton or No. 47 Old Dominion on Saturday.
The Schedule: Friday: vs. No. 19 Alabama - 12:30 p.m. CT | Saturday - TBA
Match Info: Rice will take on the Crimson Tide on Friday, Feb. 23, at 12:30 p.m. (CT) at Lagoon Park in Montgomery, Alabama. The Owls' second-round matchup will also be played at Lagoon Park. The Fields at 17 Springs will also host matches during the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic.
Live scoring for the tournament will be available through the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic website.
The Owls: Rice is 5-4 on the season. The Owls were last in action splitting a pair of road matches at UT Arlington and SMU. Rice defeated the Mavericks, 5-2, before falling to the Mustangs, 4-1. The Owls had their match versus Indiana last week canceled due to weather
The Opposition: Rice and Alabama have split four previous matchups. The two sides met in the opening round of the Blue Gray Classic in 2018, resulting in a 4-1 Alabama victory. After losing its first matchup versus Alabama in 2004, Rice posted wins over the Crimson Tide in 2005 (5-2 in Houston) and in 2011 (4-1 in Austin). Alabama is 8-4 this season and most recently defeated then-ranked No. 5 USC, 4-1.
The Owls are 3-3 all-time against the Monarchs but have lost each of the past two meetings. Rice defeated Old Dominion in back-to-back years in 2016 (4-2 in Houston) and 2017 (4-3 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee). The Owls also won the first matchup against the Monarchs, 5-2, in 2008. This season, Old Dominion is ranked 47th in the nation with a 9-1 record, only falling to No. 43 Penn, 4-3, and has won five straight matches entering the tournament.
Rice and Princeton met earlier this season, with the Tigers posting a 4-0 win as part of the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Owls are 1-4 all-time against Princeton. After Rice won the inaugural matchup, 4-3, on Feb. 20, 2016, at the George R. Brown Tennis Center, the Tigers have won the previous four matchups, all away from Houston. Princeton is 8-4 this season and coming off three-straight victories to win the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Indoor Tennis Championship. They are ranked 31st in the latest ITA rankings.
