Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Friday, May 03, 2024 — Houston, TX

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Inconsistent play brings men's tennis tough losses

(04/10/09 12:00am)

If you heard a crashing sound last week, it was not Rice's new electric car taking a spill but the men's tennis team's season starting its tumultuous final stretch. After coming within a breath of downing then-No. 18 Pepperdine University at home on March 27, the then-35th-ranked Owls dropped a gut-wrencher against then-No. 41 University of Oklahoma last Sunday. But these losses - the Owls' seventh and eighth by a score of 4-3 - did not hurt nearly as much as a 5-2 face-plant against the then-No. 29 University of Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane, which had been reeling with three losses in its last four games against ranked foes, showed Rice that it was still the team to beat in Conference USA.




Rain keeps men indoors

(03/20/09 12:00am)

With rain falling from the early morning on, then-No. 31 Rice's contest against then- No. 51 Duke University and then-No. 75 University of Southern Mississippi never stood a chance at being played at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium. As puddles precluded the Owls' first home matches since the beginning of the semester, the teams headed elsewhere to play for what was, for all intents and purposes, Rice's ninth- and 10th- straight road matches of the year. Since the Owls had a .500 record in the eight road matches leading up to last weekend, it should come as little surprise that the team left the weekend with a Friday loss to the Blue Devils and a Sunday victory against the Golden Eagles.


Men's tennis triumphs during West Coast trip

(03/13/09 12:00am)

The men's tennis team has not always had the best luck playing doubles. Despite owning a singles set that has clinched top 30 rankings throughout the decade, the doubles teams have consistently hung like a cloud over the beginning of each match, creating question marks that always mocked Rice's progress.But this year seems to be different. After one of the Owls' top players, 49th-ranked junior Bruno Rosa, faltered early on, and junior Chong Wang, the third-best Owl, departed due to off-court issues, Rice's singles play has been marked by relative struggles.


Commentary: After absence, Griffey's return well worth wait

(03/13/09 12:00am)

There are things in life that should not happen. We see them in children's books or on the Hallmark Channel, but never in our dirty world of grime and struggle. Life is incomplete, which means that it's imperfect, which means that these Kodak moments we see in cinema or find in literature do not come to fruition. But that is life. This is sport.


Men's tennis finds groove in doubles

(03/13/09 12:00am)

The men's tennis team has not always had the best luck playing doubles. Despite owning a singles set that has clinched top 30 rankings throughout the decade, the doubles teams have consistently hung like a cloud over the beginning of each match, creating question marks that always mocked Rice's progress. But this year seems to be different. After one of the Owls' top players, 49th-ranked junior Bruno Rosa, faltered early on, and junior Chong Wang, the third-best Owl, departed due to off-court issues, Rice's singles play has been marked by relative struggles.


Men continue struggles against ranked opponents

(02/27/09 12:00am)

There is something out there that will help the men's tennis team beat a ranked foe. The Owls had it, whatever it was, during early-season wins over then-No. 17 University of Miami and then-No. 33 Texas Christian University. But for the last three weeks, that unknown, unnamed and unfaithful something-or-other has gone missing, in the process putting Rice on the wrong side of four of its last five matches. With last Sunday's road loss to No. 16 Florida State University, the 26th-ranked Owls have now dropped to 8-4 on the year, and what once seemed like a promising season has come to a grinding halt.


Sunday's Sports Update: Women turn over win to SMU

(02/20/09 12:00am)

The women's basketball team closed out its home season with a rough 63-41 loss to Southern Methodist University on Sunday afternoon. LeShandra Hill led SMU with 14 points, followed by Christine Elliott with 12. No one on the Owls was able to muster double-digit points, although the team had five players score a total of 36 points.The win leaves SMU tied for first place in Conference USA with a 10-4 conference record, while Rice's two-game winning streak comes to a close. The Owls are now 2-11 in C-USA.


Louisiana State narrowly defeats men's tennis

(02/13/09 12:00am)

Yes, the men's tennis team lost on Friday to No. 15 Louisiana State University. Rice's third loss in a row came by a score of 4-3 in Baton Rouge, La., dropping the 27th-ranked Owls to 7-3 on the year and marking the midpoint of a laborious, seven-week road trip. But that is not the main storyline to emerge from the Louisiana jaunt. The team fought tooth and nail for the win, but the Tigers' wins did not arise in the places one would expect.



Tragedy casts pall over men's recent road trip

(02/06/09 12:00am)

After seven straight victories, everyone on the men's tennis team knew a loss was inevitable. But no one knew that the first loss would come off of the tennis court. Not an hour before the Owls were slated to face Wake Forest University last Friday in Oxford, Miss., freshman Christian Saravia learned that his father had been killed in a car crash in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Stunned and saddened by the immediacy of the news, head coach Ron Smarr took Saravia to the nearest airport, and the native Guatemalan flew from Houston to his home in a matter of hours to be with his mother and brother, who are both still in the hospital.


Closing time

(01/30/09 12:00am)

Damon Stoudamire needs closure. The diminutive point guard, who burst into the league with his 5'10" stature and pinball-machine energy, knows that his career might be over. It's the middle of the NBA season, but for the first time since 1995, Stoudamire can't be found in NBA colors, nor on the injured reserve, nor collecting a massive payday from a European club.


Men's tennis breaks 17th-ranked Hurricanes' wave

(01/30/09 12:00am)

You could say the men's tennis team's 4-3 win over the University of Miami on Sunday was the biggest of the season. You could say the success over the 17th-ranked Hurricanes was the most important match of a seven-week road swing, a victory against the highest-ranked opponent the 24th-ranked Owls have seen yet. You could say that the win will set the tone for the massive road trip, which in turn will set the course of Rice's season. You could say all that. Just don't ask assistant coach Efe Ustundag (Baker '99) to reciprocate your feelings.



Saturday sports update: Rice rebounds with strong win over ECU

(01/30/09 12:00am)

The men's basketball team picked up its second conference win of the season Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse, beating East Carolina University 76-70 in a game Rice led from start to finish.With the victory, the Owls improved to 7-14 on the year, 2-5 in Conference USA, and looked to have rebounded from Wednesday's emotional collapse versus Tulane University.


Men's tennis flexes muscle in home competitions

(01/23/09 12:00am)

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.



Men's 2009 Tennis Preview

(01/16/09 12:00am)

What is leadership? Is it the respect automatically assigned to the eldest, the veterans and the weathered? Or is it something earned, something found when the obstacles are toughest and the chips are at their lowest? This is the question the men's tennis team has dealt with in the weeks before the dawning of their spring season. Traditionally, those at the top of the ladder - such as junior Bruno Rosa, currently ranked 26th in the nation - would be the ones steering the team. But a glut of highly-touted, highly-talented freshmen has made the idea of team leadership a bit more opaque.


Rice bowl win both historic and reflective of senior accomplishments

(01/09/09 12:00am)

It was a reverse. During the third quarter of the Texas Bowl, Chase Clement sent a lateral, short and sweet, at Jarett Dillard's chest. The All-Everything receiver took the pass as the Western Michigan defense began to swarm, ready to cement a loss of yards. But Dillard, more often known for class than cleverness, wheeled and flicked the ball back to Clement, wide-eyed and wide-open, who popped into the end-zone to give Rice a 30-0 lead.