Rice University
Texas A&M
Men's Tennis Set for NCAA First Round at No. 15 Texas A&M
5/2/2024 11:15:00 AM | Men's Tennis
In Brief: Rice men's tennis heads to College Station to compete in the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2017. Rice will face Texas A&M, the tournament's 15th overall seed, on Friday, May 3, at 1 p.m. (CT) at the Mitchell Tennis Center. Should the Owls advance, they will face the winner between Baylor and San Diego on Saturday, May 4, at 4 p.m. (CT).
The Schedule: Friday - NCAA Championship First Round at #15 Texas A&M - 1 p.m. (CT) | Saturday - Second Round vs Baylor/San Diego - 4 p.m. (CT)
Match Info: The Owls will take on the Aggies on Friday at 1 p.m. (CT) at the Mitchell Tennis Center. Live results and video will be provided by Texas A&M athletics and can be found through the host site tournament central page. Tickets may also be purchased through the tournament central page and cost $5 for single-session general admission or $16 for an all-session GA ticket.
The first and second rounds of the 2024 NCAA Championship will take place on Friday and Saturday, May 3-4. The tournament's top-16 seeded teams will serve as hosts for the opening two rounds with a total of four teams playing in a single-elimination format at each host site. The winner from each site will advance to the super regional on May 10-11. The final eight teams will then advance to the quarterfinals where the remainder of the tournament will be hosted by Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Fans can view the full bracket as well as the official NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship program via the NCAA.
The Owls: Rice enters the tournament with an 18-7 overall record, the program's highest single-season win total since posting 23 wins in back-to-back seasons in 2016 and 2017. The Owls are ranked 45th in the nation in the latest ITA rankings, the team's highest ITA ranking since finishing the 2017 season ranked 44th in the country. Rice reached the semifinals of the AAC Championship, reaching the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since doing so in Conference USA in 2019. The Owls defeated tournament host Tulsa, 4-1, in the quarterfinals before falling to top-seeded Memphis, 4-3, in the semifinal round.
Senior Yasha Zemel and sophomore Kabeer Kapasi were named to the AAC All-Conference Doubles Team. The duo have posted a 9-2 record at the first position in doubles play this season and are ranked 35th in the nation in the latest ITA rankings.
Championship History: Rice returns to the NCAA Championship for the first time in seven years after earning an at-large bid, which is also the Owls' first at-large berth since 2011. Rice is 6-13 all-time in the tournament and last won against Washington in 2010. The Owls have reached the third round only once prior, doing so with victories over South Alabama and LSU in 2004.
The Opposition: Rice and Texas A&M will meet for the 34th time in program history on Friday. The Aggies hold the series advantage, 28-5, and have won each of the past 10 meetings. Rice posted back-to-back wins prior to the current streak, defeating Texas A&M both at home and on the road. The Owls won, 4-3, in College Station on April 13, 2009, one year after posting a 4-3 win in Houston on April 9, 2008.
Rice and San Diego have met 14 times previously, with the two sides evenly splitting the series matchup, 7-7. The Owls won seven of the first eight meetings in the series, but San Diego has claimed six straight wins over Rice. A possible second-round meeting would be the first match between the teams since 2016.
The Owls are 10-3 all-time against Baylor, though the Bears have won each of the past three meetings. The two sides have met only twice in the 21st century, with Baylor winning in 2004 and 2010 by 4-1 and 4-0, respectively. The Owls won the first 10 contests in the series in annual meetings between 1987 and 1996.
Players Mentioned
