Men's Tennis prepares for TCU match up

By Dan Elledge     2/14/13 6:00pm

The treading gets tougher for the Owls as they try to break out of their recent slide. Last Thursday, the Owls fell to a rolling Texas A&M University team that cruised in and took the 6-1 result. Even with the negative result, Head Coach Efe Ustundag took some positives from the match saying the team now knows the level they need to play at to beat those elite teams.

"We have been emphasizing this all season that the talent level is not that much different," Ustundag said. "It is the good teams that make you play for every point. They do not give you anything free."

Rice was supposed to play at Louisiana State University on Sunday, but weather played a factor. Ustundag said the match would have gone on in an indoor facility, but Mardi Gras made travelling to New Orleans almost impossible.

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The team said they felt there were many benefits from the extra time including the potential recovery of senior Peter Frank, who is listed as day-to-day. Ustundag is hopeful that he will have Frank back out there for the weekend and beyond. Otherwise, major shifts in doubles will have to occur.

"I think the pushing back of the game gave us a little bit of time to see what Peter's status is and we have to shuffle some doubles around so we can practice with those pairs," Ustundag said.

Senior Jonathan Chang agreed that the extra time was much needed as more practice and more rest is just what the doctor ordered.

"I think it gives us more time to fix what we did wrong against A&M," Chang said. "Also, it gives us more time to rest."

Depending on the result against LSU yesterday, the Owls are now off to a 2-4 start, something that Ustundag was not envisioning in his first year at the helm. Rice has a quick turnaround in two days as Texas Christian University comes to visit Jake Hess Stadium. Last year against the Horned Frogs, the Owls won in a thriller in Fort Worth 4-3. Rice is hoping to build off last year's result as this is an important mark in their season. Another loss could be sending the Owls to a disappointing season, but a win here could change the swing of things.

Ustundag said he feels that TCU is an underrated team with narrow losses against elite teams and an upset win earlier in the year over Stanford.

"[TCU] is a very good team, " Ustundag said. "They have had some unlucky losses. They lost to A&M 5-2, but they said it was the best opponent they have faced all year. TCU beat Stanford on the road and had a very tough loss at Tulsa."

Chang said he agrees that TCU is going to be a challenge and is excited to be playing in front of the fans at Jake Hess because he knows they will help.

"TCU is a really good team this year, but they just beat Stanford," Chang said. "I actually do not know what to expect at this point. They have some good new players, so we will see how it goes. I am excited to play at home because it gives us a nice advantage."

Ustundag feels this match against TCU could be tougher than the match against LSU would have been. He says the season is hitting an important stretch and knows that this schedule will push the Owls to the limit.

"I think they are more dangerous than LSU when talent level and coaching is concerned," Ustundag said. "I like the fact we are playing them at home, but I think they will be stronger than LSU so the road does not get any easier for us."

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