Men's tennis hitting stride after taking two of three
While most students were lounging around on beaches and getting 12 hours of sleep at home during spring break, the men's tennis team was working hard and playing crucial matches as they traveled to San Diego to play at 54th-ranked San Diego State University (1-8) and at the 20th-ranked University of San Diego (9-2) while also participating in the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship in La Jolla, CA.The Owls started spring break off right as they beat San Diego State, 5-2 on February 28. Rice claimed the crucial doubles point thanks to wins from the pairs of senior Oscar Podlewski and sophomore Harry Fowler and juniors Christian Saravia and Isamu Tachibana. After that, the Owls put the match away as they won four of the six singles thanks to sophomore Peter Frank, Podlewski, Saravia and Tachibana.
However, the Owls could not keep the momentum on their California swing as they dropped a match, 6-1, at San Diego on March 2. The Owls lost the doubles point, which they could have easily had, as Podlewski and Fowler had break points when the match was tied at 7-7 for a chance to serve for the match. In the end, they could not convert, as they fell 9-7, and San Diego took the doubles point. From there, it was hard for the Owls to soar back, as San Diego took five of the six singles matches to cruise to a comfortable 6-1 win. Tachibana was the only one to win his match.
Assistant Coach Efe Ustundag (Balker '99) felt that the singles matches started out fine for the Owls, but soon enough, the Toreros took control, and Rice had no chance to come back.
"We started singles and we split the first set on six counts. They won three, and we won three," Ustundag said. "We couldn't put it away, and they did a good job of fighting back and taking control of the matches and quickly made it 4-0 too soon before we could even the match up."
The week ended much more lightly for the Owls, as they traveled to La Jolla to participate in the Pacific Coast Doubles Championships. Ustundag saw it as a time for the players to relax and to take a break from collegiate play.
"I think at the same time, it is a bit of a break from the hustle and bustle of the season," Ustundag said, "It still keeps your competitive spirit up ,but at the same time, it's not a collegiate tournament, as I think it is a fun way to do your job but a good way to relax at the same time."
The doubles tournament went well for the Owls as three pairs advanced to the round of 16. Fowler and Podlewski, Frank and junior Michael Nuesslein and Tachibana and Saravia were the pairs that made it to the round of 16, but none could make it to the quarterfinals. Saravia felt that he and Tachibana had a good tournament, as they are getting used to each others' doubles style.
"It was my third time playing with Isamu, and I loved it," Saravia said. "With all of the changes, each of us needs to get used to playing with our partners, but I think Isamu and I played really well."
As students were coming back from their spring break adventures, the tennis team returned home, too, as they started a homestand against conference rival the University of Memphis.
The Owls started off the homestand right as they took care of the Tigers, 5-2. The match was moved to the Galleria Athletic and Tennis Center due to the rain on Tuesday that caused the courts to be slippery.
Rice got off to a slow start, as they lost the doubles point to be in a 1-0 hole. However, the Owls soared in singles play, as they won five of the six matches led by victories from Fowler, Frank, Podlewski, Tachibana and junior Sam Garforth-Bles.
The 33rd-ranked Owls are currently 10-3 on the season and are now 1-0 in conference play. Their stretch at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium continues as they host Wake Forest University today at 1:30 p.m. The Demon Deacons are 5-4 on the season but are still ranked 43rd in the nation and will provide stiff competition for the Owls.
Although the Owls have had a couple setbacks to Louisiana State University (4-9) and San Diego, Saravia feels that this team has started to hit its peak, especially starting with the victory over a conference foe, and will springboard off this momentum to hang around with the best teams in the NCAA tournament.
"We have a pretty strong team, so we need to keep improving, and by the end of the semester, I think we will have a good chance of making a good run in the NCAA Tournament," Saravia said.
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