Men's Tennis has a mixed outcome over spring break

By Dan Elledge     3/7/13 6:00pm

While many members of the Rice University undergraduate population were enjoying their spring breaks at sunny beaches in 70-degree weather, the tennis team was not having too shabby of a time either as they spent the entire week playing tennis in majestic San Diego and La Jolla, Calif. 

It was a mixed week for the Owls, initially wiping out 7-0 at the hands of the University of San Diego. They followed that loss with a gut-wrenching 4-3 win at the hands of Fresno State University. Rice also participated at the West Coast Doubles Tournament from Feb. 28 to March 2, getting some much needed doubles practice for pairs: sophomore Leif Berger/senior Jonathan Chang, senior Peter Frank/junior Philipp Seifert and freshmen Tommy Bennett/Adam Gustafsson.

After the 1-1 split, Rice is still a measly 4-7 on the season, but all hope is not lost. The Owls are starting a five-game homestand this weekend against Penn State University and Abilene Christian University.

---

---

Head Coach Efe Ustundag liked what he saw over the previous week, especially the doubles play of Berger and Chang. He said that he saw their best play at the doubles tournament, and it shows they have what it takes to be a lethal doubles partnership for the remainder of the season.

"[Chang] and [Berger] had the best results and they looked very competitive," Ustundag said. "What I liked seeing out of those guys was aggressive tennis instead of playing timid. You could tell they really wanted to win, and I think this was good for them to understand that if they play this way, they can succeed."

Chang agreed saying that the purpose of the tournament was to play in a relaxed, fun environment while also focusing and improving doubles play.

"Most importantly, [the doubles tournament] gives us more confidence and a lot of practice," Chang said. "This tournament really helped us stay loose and have fun with doubles."

Ustundag understands the importance of this stretch since it gives the Owls a chance to get back into the postseason hunt. Starting with Penn State, Ustundag knows that since they are a team from a colder climate, it might be a tough transition from playing indoors to outside in the humid Texas heat.

"Penn State is a gritty ... team, and I think the one advantage we have is that some of these teams play the majority of their matches indoors due to weather conditions," Ustundag said.

Even though California was beautiful, Chang likes the fact that the team will cease traveling for the next couples of weeks. He said that the team will be focused and ready for the doubleheader.

"It is comfortable being back at home, and we will be more focused than usual," Chang said. "Fans will play a major role as well. Obviously it is a doubleheader next week, so we need to work more on conditioning instead of practicing cause we need to be fit."

Ustundag knows that the fan support will be crucial as it is now do or die for the Owls. He said that the Owls have to go 5-0 on this home-stand or else their chances of qualifying for the NCAA tournament might just fly out of the window.

"For us, we have to use the home court advantage wisely," Ustundag said. "We will have a few more students in town to come help support us, and I think it's a big opportunity to turn the season around. We have been given a second chance to go to the postseason and we have to take care of business at home."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---