Men's tennis flexes muscle in home competitions

By Casey Michel     1/22/09 6:00pm

Only a week into its season, the men's tennis team is racking up the accomplishments. Downing their first conference opponent? Check. Trouncing a ranked foe? Check. Dropping only three points in their first five matches of the season? Check. It is official: After their hottest start in years, the Owls have begun their 2009 campaign, one fraught with high expectations highly-ranked opponents, in the best way possible.

"It was definitely a start that we were thinking was more possible than not," assistant coach Efe Ustundag said. "Being 4-1 right now would have been, not a shock, but a little bit disappointing ... It's a fun team to be a part of this year."

As they do every season, the Owls, ranked 24th in the nation, began their spring season at the MET indoor facility in downtown Houston. The first challenger was the University of Memphis, a Conference USA rival whose lineup featured No. 102 Jorge Vazquez, named C-USA Player of the Week on Tuesday. Unfortunately, Vazquez's honors came at the expense of Rice junior Bruno Rosa, whose No. 26 ranking may fall after his straight-set loss to the Tiger.

---

---

But Rosa's gaffe would be the only one of the contest, as the rest of the squad dispatched the Tigers in convincing fashion, highlighted by senior Christoph Müller's three-set, come-from-behind win at No. 2.

As the afternoon wound down, Rice unleashed on the University of Texas-San Antonio, sweeping the entire slate. The Owls continued their momentum the next day with consecutive 7-0 wins over Lamar University and Prairie View A&M University.

But those contests were mere warm-ups for Wednesday's battle. Set amidst a backdrop of dirt mounds and backhoes, Rice christened Jake Hess Tennis Stadium's 2009 season, one marred by the destruction of two courts, with a contest against their first viable foe, No. 33 Texas Christian University.

Doubles, perhaps this season's biggest question mark, proved an easy win for Rice, as Müller and senior Tobias Schiel downed TCU's 12th-ranked doubles team. Freshman Sam Garforth-Bles then opened singles with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Zack Nichols. Despite losses by Rosa and junior Chong Wang, Müller, Scheil, junior Dennis Polyakov and freshman Isamu Tachibana staved off their opponents to clinch the Owls' fifth win of the year.

"It was a good, strong, concentrated effort," Ustundag said of the play against TCU. "We're just going to have to keep the intensity with us at home and bring us on the road."

The ease with which Rice began the season, however, is officially at a close. Beginning tomorrow against Florida Atlantic University, Rice will embark on a seven-week road swing that will take them from coast to coast, with multiple stops in between.

And unlike the opponents they faced in last weekend's double-headers, Rice's upcoming foes will not be the kind that simply roll over before the matches begin. On Sunday, the Owls will take on No. 13 University of Miami, arguably their most difficult non-conference challenger of the year. Leading the Hurricanes will be Daniel Vallverdu, currently ranked third in the nation in singles and tops in doubles with teammate Carl Sundberg.

But Rice may have an ace up its sleeve: Rosa and Vallverdu faced each other last season, with Rosa finding a way to best the then-No. 7 Hurricane in straight sets. And if the tricks he used last year do not work, Rosa can reach into his past dealings with Vallverdu to find something that will suffice.

"He's one of my best friends, [and] I've known him since we were really young," Rosa said. "If I win, I'll call him up for a beer. If I lose, I'm just going to go.

---