Rice University
Texas A&M
Men's Tennis Falls to No. 15 Texas A&M in First Round of NCAA Championship
5/3/2024 9:07:00 PM | Men's Tennis
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Rice men's tennis fell to Texas A&M, 4-0, in the opening round of the NCAA Championship on Friday evening. The Owls finished the season with a 17-9 record.
Doubles: Facing the tournament's 15th overall seed, the Owls faced a daunting task from the onset. Despite spirited efforts, the Aggies took the doubles point with wins at the first and third positions. At court two, senior Trinity Grear and freshman Petro Kuzmenok had battled to a 5-4 lead when the doubles point was clinched.
Singles: Texas A&M maintained momentum in singles action, ultimately clinching the victory with wins at the first, third and sixth positions. Kuzmenok and junior Emir Sendogan delivered the lone set victories for the Owls. Sendogan took the first set at the fourth position, 6-4, before having his match abandoned before the second frame. At the fifth spot, Kuzmenok rebounded following his first set to win the second, 6-2, and force a decisive third frame before the match was clinched.
Head coach Efe Ustundag: "It's a very proud season, a great season. Making the tournament at-large for a mid-major is never easy. These guys earned it from the get go. It's tough when you're a third seed and you play the top seed sometimes, but I don't think I would have drawn it up any other way. We ran into a really good A&M team. Yes, they were on a five-match losing streak, but they certainly did not play like it today. Hats off to them. They outplayed us in some spots. But the thing is, for us, (making the NCAA Championship) is the standard. This has to be the standard. I told the guys it's going to be really tough to replace the seniors that are leaving, and I'm so proud of what they've done for our program over the last few years, but it's going to be up to the remaining guys to step up. It's not easy to bring in guys from outside to be the top dogs. We're going to have to grow them from within and I think we have the group, we have the individuals that can step up and take the baton forward. Again, I can't be more proud of this group, really a great bunch of guys. They represent our team and our program well. Thanks to all the Rice fans that were out there supporting us today and all year round. We'll be back.
Season Recap: The Owls qualified for the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2017, and received its first at-large berth to the tournament since 2011. At 17 wins, Rice also posted its highest win total since winning 23 matches in back-to-back seasons in 2016 and 2017.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,6
