2016 Men's Tennis Championship
April 22-24
Event Site: George Brown Tennis Center
Houston, TX
Hosted by Rice

Quarterfinals - Friday, April 22
Match 1: (2) Old Dominion 4 vs. (7) Florida Atlantic 1 - 10 a.m.
Match 2: (3) Middle Tennessee 4 vs. (6) Charlotte 1 - 10 a.m.
Match 3: (1) Rice 4 vs. (8) UTSA 0 - 2 p.m.
Match 4: (4) UAB 4 vs. (5) Southern Miss 2 – 2 p.m.

Semifinals - Saturday, April 23
Match 5: (2) Old Dominion 4 vs. (3) Middle Tennessee 1 - 12 p.m.
Match 6: (1) Rice 4 vs. (4) UAB 1 - 12 p.m.

Championship - Sunday, April 24
Match 7: (2) Old Dominion 2 vs. (1) Rice 4 - 11 a.m.

http://www.conferenceusa.com/sports/m-te...16aaa.html

Championship Central

Rice lost to UTSA twice last year, including the championship final, but beat the Roadrunners this year 4-0.

Rankings heading into conference tournament:
Team - #26
Singles - None
Doubles - #30 Tommy Bennett & David Warren

Article in the Chron.
http://www.chron.com/sports/rice/article...288148.php

Good to see that we really can get some press if we get results (though I'm not entirely convinced they would have written this if the tournament were out of town).

I did not see any marketing for the tournament. Shouldn't there be more money spent on advertising for successful programs? The Astros have not looked good. Maybe it is a good time to get the work out for Rice baseball also?

(04-21-2016 09:37 PM)franklyconfused Wrote:  Good to see that we really can get some press if we get results (though I'm not entirely convinced they would have written this if the tournament were out of town).

(04-22-2016 09:51 AM)OldOwl Wrote:  I did not see any marketing for the tournament. Shouldn't there be more money spent on advertising for successful programs? The Astros have not looked good. Maybe it is a good time to get the work out for Rice baseball also?

(04-21-2016 09:37 PM)franklyconfused Wrote:  Good to see that we really can get some press if we get results (though I'm not entirely convinced they would have written this if the tournament were out of town).

The matches are free I believe (correct me if I am wrong) so spending money won't bring us anything dollars wise. However, I do think we could (and maybe we did) contact local HS tennis teams so they could come and see the action. That would target an audience we should really want. Sort of the way local girls HS basketball and volleyball teams often show up in groups at our women's games.

#2 & #3 seeds, ODU & MTenn, each won their first-round matches, 4-1.

Rice takes first of three doubles matches. Ahead in remaining two.

Rice takes the doubles point!

Bennett & Llamas zip out to decisive first-set wins, 6-0 & 6-1, at #2 & #5, respectively.

Add: Hansen breaks on #3. Now up 5-2, serving for the first set.
Add2: Three unforced errors lead to a break back. 5-3.
Add3: Hansen breaks again to win the first set, 6-3.

Warren & Munch also won on #4 & #6 by the same 6-4 scores.

Five first set wins; 6-6 on #1.

Yay, Owls!!

Rice wins first set on all courts, Bennett scores another point by winning on #2 (6-0, 6-2)! Rice up 2-0.

Rice up 3-0 as Llamas wins on #5 (6-1, 6-4). Warren one point away from clinching...

Meep-meep? Not today. Rice wins! 4-0

Rice wins! Warren wins #4, 6-4, 6-3.

The team will move on to face the winner of USM/UAB tomorrow. USM & UAB are slugging it out. Despite starting at the same time as our match, no singles points have been decided yet.

Rice will face UAB tomorrow at noon. Rice beat UAB, 4-0, on 2/27/16.

Good job guys! Keep on winning.

As in the women's tournament, the top four seeds survive to the semifinals.

Llamas and Hansen win at #3 doubles, 6-1.

Gustafsson and Malik win at #2 doubles, 6-3. Rice wins doubles point.