Men's tennis disappointed

By Dan Elledge     2/20/13 6:00pm

Even with the all-important doubles point to take an early lead, the Owls could not secure a crucial win last weekend, falling 4-3 Sunday to Texas Christian University at Jake Hess Stadium. This is another tough break for the Owls following a 4-3 loss at Louisiana State University Feb. 14. 

With the back-to-back heartbreakers, Rice is now 2-6 this season and is currently riding a four-game losing streak. Head Coach Efe Ustundag said the Owls are close to straightening things out but that if they are going to have any real success this season, all six guys have to show up.

"If we can get kicking on all cylinders, then we have a chance to make the tournament," Ustundag said. "We are playing a lot of close matches, and it is not good that only half of the team is showing up to play."

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Senior Jonathan Chang said the team cannot dwell on these past few losses. If the team is going to succeed in the future, the Owls are going to have to take it one game at a time.

"We have to have a short memory and focus on the present," Chang said. "We need to focus on our next opponent and not worry about our losses. We need to keep working hard during practice."

Even though Ustundag said he feels the team has been struggling, he said there are positives to take away. Ustundag said Chang, senior Peter Frank, junior Philipp Seifert and freshman Gustavo Gonzalez have shown some sparks in the past few matches.

"[Chang] has established himself as a No. 1 player, which is very encouraging," Ustundag said. "I also felt good about the quality of doubles against TCU, especially Seifert and Frank. Gustavo ... needed some confidence, as he has gotten outplayed in some matches. He kept up the attitude, and it paid off against TCU."

The Owls get to stay at Jake Hess this weekend, where they host the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, on Saturday. The Ragin Cajuns are ranked No. 75 in the country and just came off a loss to the University of Miami, which the Owls lost to a few weeks ago. 

Ustundag said he is worried about Lafayette's balance and that he thinks it will be coming in primed to take down the Owls and pull off an upset, but he said the team will have none of that.

"I think they are a very well-balanced team," Ustundag said. "I think they are going to pull out six guys who can play anywhere in the lineup. They played Miami close, and I expect them to come out and be very, very aggressive. I am expecting us to come out of the gates flying and take it to a higher level. We might have lost a few matches back-to-back, but we are not lacking confidence."

Overall, Ustundag said the team is going to have to play together and step up as a whole if it wants to have any success and save its season. Ustundag said pride will have to start being a factor and that hopefully, the team will rise to the occasion.

"Bottom line, sooner or later their pride has to come in play," Ustundag said. "We are tired of losing, and if we just all play well, play hard, we can turn this thing around. The talent is there. Obviously, the onus is on the coaching staff to continue focusing on the positives. Overall, they have to come ready to play and compete for Rice."

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