Owls rock Tigers, Hurricanes in homestand
If there were questions remaining about the stability of the men's tennis team's doubles slate, or how the two new transfers would fit into the lineup, or if senior Bruno Rosa, ranked 19th in the nation, had the mettle to shoulder the 32nd-ranked Owls (5-1), last weekend provided a cheat sheet. Doubles success? Check.
Transfers fitting in? Better than expected.
Rosa fulfilling his potential? Just ask the two ranked opponents he dominated in straight sets - they can probably answer better than we.
After a pair of 6-1 wins over No. 33 Louisiana State University and No. 27 University of Miami over the weekend, the Owls appear to be firªing on all cylinders. The Tigers (0-3) and the Hurricanes (2-2) provided Rice's first test after a disheartening 4-0 loss to then-No. 46 Fresno State University earlier this month. But if the score is any indication, the only test lay in how impressively Rice could win.
"Every time you step on the court, you expect all six guys to show up ready to perform," Assistant Coach Efe Ustundag (Baker '99) said. "And that's exactly what happened."
Taking on the Tigers at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium last Friday, it was a heartening sight to see a vigorous showing after the Owls rolled over against the then-lower-ranked Bullªdogs (7-1) two weeks ago. Fresno State, now ranked 26th, bullied Rice in an unexpected and discouraging manner, and junior Oscar Podlewski noted that the Owls wanted nothing more than to turn the tables on their next opponents.
"Coming back and winning against LSU and Miami was doubly rewarding . because we were posiªtive after a bad loss," Podlewski, a transfer, said. "It was obvious at Fresªno State that the team didn't show up, and that the Bulldogs just got on top of us. . And that hurt us. So we wanted to do [to Miami and LSU] what Fresno State did to us."
The Owls blitzed out of the gate, with the No. 3 doubles tandem of sophomore Isamu Tachibana and freshman Jonathan Chang edging Olªivier Borsos and James Turbervill 9-7 to clinch the doubles point.
Turbervill enacted revenge in sinªgles, downing Chang 7-6 (7), 6-2 - but the Tiger's teammates had little luck as the Owls rampaged through the lineup. Rosa, who was named Conference USA Player of the Week Tuesday, led the way with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over No. 26 Neal Skupski, and Podlewski backed him up at No. 2 with a 6-2, 6-2 win over 97th-ranked Sebastian Carlsson.
Tachibana and fellow sophoªmores Michael Nuesslein and Sam Garforth-Bles then rounded out the victory, all winning in straight sets to give Rice its first win over LSU in four years.
The Owls continued that moªmentum two days later against the Hurricanes, once more grabbing the doubles point. Rosa followed with anªother win over a ranked foe, this time trouncing No. 114 Christian Blocker, and Podlewski again followed suit at No. 2 with another straight-set win.
Miami's 120th-ranked David Siªmon knocked off Rice redshirt freshªman Andy Wang 4-6. 6-2, 6-3, but that would be the only point Miami would grab on the afternoon. Nuesslein, Taªchinaba and Garforth-Bles took care of their opponents, pushing the score to 6-1 once more.
"We just looked to be a lot more mentally tough than both teams we played against," Ustundag said. "That's always a positive thing this early in the year. And we just hope it continues, because there's really no breathing room in our schedule."
Ustundag is right - the road is only tougher from here on out, as the Owls are slated to meet four top-20 opponents in their next five matches. Rice will get this week off to ready itself before taking on No. 20 Virginia Tech University and No. 15 Wake Forest University on the road next weekend.
Both teams will jumpstart the Owls' attempts to clamber into the top 20. Because until they're there, says Ustundag, there's little room to find satisfaction in what they've acªcomplished thus far.
"We're only six matches into the season," the coach said. "If we're satisfied with where we are already, we're in for a big surprise.
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