Men’s tennis tops opponents

By Shannon Foreman 3/18/14 4:49pm

Overcast weather did not prevent the Rice University men’s tennis team from a double victory this past weekend against Lamar University and the University of Texas, Pan American.

According to Head Coach Efe Ustundag, securing the doubles point was critical towards the team’s success over the weekend.

“Winning the doubles point is always good for our team, and we used that momentum to start fast in singles,” Ustundag said. “We were expecting a tough match, but we jumped on them very quickly in doubles and didn’t let up.”

Due to rain delays, the contest ended early, allowing the Owls to hold Lamar scoreless. More heavy rain forced the Owls to make the 90-mile drive from Beaumont back to Houston to move their second match of the day indoors.

Ustundag said moving indoors presented a new challenge for the Owls.

“When we decided to move indoors, we knew this was going to be as big of a challenge for us as it was going to be for our opponents,” Ustundag said.

The Owls were able to secure the win despite the move. Sophomore Adam Gustafsson, sophomore Gustavo Gonzalez and freshman Max Andrews put Rice in a 3-0 lead against Texas, Pan American. Junior Srikar Alla quickly secured the Rice victory when he won his singles match.

Having already won the match, the Owls went on to shut out their opponent with wins by sophomore Tommy Bennett and freshman Henrik Munch in singles.

Gustafsson said the confidence the team gained from upsetting No. 69 San Diego State University over spring break made a difference in this week’s matches.

“Beating San Diego State was a confidence boost for us,” Gustafsson said. “We know that we can beat almost any team out there — we just have to believe.”

Gustafsson said their matches will get much tougher as they face Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi on Friday, March 21 and No. 66 Tulane on Sunday, March 23 at home in their first conference match-up of the season.

“Both are great teams,” Gustafsson said. “In the past, there has always been a one-match difference between winning and losing. These matches are very crucial for our season.”