Rhodes Coffey

NEWS 5/15/08 7:00pm

Marshall ousts women's tennis in C-USA semifinals

By Rhodes Coffey

In the realm of sports, effort and talent do not always equate to success and victory, particularly in women's tennis. In this day and age, parity amongst conference rivals leads to any team having a chance of triumphing on any given day. After six hours of grueling play against No. 50 Marshall University, the Owls eventually succumbed in the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament, ending their strong season on a sour note.After closing its season with 10 wins in a row, including a 5-3 shellacking of No. 69 California State University-Northridge, Rice entered the tournament with a first-round bye and began actual play in the second round against the University of Houston. Rice was seeded third in the tournament behind the University of Tulsa and Marshall, while UH came in only at No. 6. Though unranked, the Cougars gave the team a run for its money. The match lasted for over five hours, but the Owls nonetheless pulled away in a 4-3 thrilling comeback victory.

NEWS 4/10/08 7:00pm

Women's tennis prepares for conference tournament

By Rhodes Coffey

When the regular season ends, all records and streaks can be put aside for the glory of the postseason. After picking up another easy victory in their first-ever 7-0 sweep of Southern Methodist University, the No. 63 women's tennis team instantly became the favorite to win the Conference USA title.The University of Houston will host the conference tournament at the Hoff Courts from April 17-20. Currently, there are two other C-USA teams in the national rankings: No. 50 University of Tulsa and No. 62 Marshall University. Three other teams, East Carolina University, University of Alabama at Birmingham and SMU, dropped out in the past month.

NEWS 3/27/08 7:00pm

Women's tennis' streak hits nine with victories over TSU, UTA

By Rhodes Coffey

At a school where the number of Rhodes Scholars outnumbers the number of national championships, athletic victories never get old. Therefore, the women's tennis team's nine-match winning streak is quite impressive from Rice's point of view, even considering the lowly stature of its opponents. Last weekend, the Owls extended that streak by annihilating Texas State University and the University of Texas-Arlington 4-0 at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium.With the wins, Rice jumped to 55th in the nation with only one match remaining in the regular season. The Owls travel to Dallas, Texas, on April 5 to take on Southern Methodist University, their second Conference USA foe of the year. The Mustangs are streaking as well, but in the opposite direction: Having faced a tough array of opponents in the last month, SMU will look to rebound from a five-match skid.

NEWS 3/20/08 7:00pm

Women's tennis piles on Abilene Christian

By Rhodes Coffey

With a six-match winning streak under its belt, it would have been easy for the women's tennis team to become complacent. Add to that the distraction of Willy Week, and it would have been really easy for No. 64 Rice to let last week's match with Abilene Christian University slip through its fingers. But the Owls staved off complacency until after executing a perfect 7-0 victory over the Wildcats, choosing to take the rest of the weekend off to relax from their otherwise hectic schedule.Rice will continue welcoming local opponents to Jake Hess Tennis Stadium for the near future, as they take on Texas State University tomorrow at 3 p.m. and the University of Texas-Arlington Sunday at 1 p.m. Just as with recent opponents, the Owls should have little trouble with the Bobcats, who are 5-6 on the year, or the Roadrunners, who have lost their last three matches by a combined score of 16-5.

NEWS 3/13/08 7:00pm

Women's tennis keeps win streak rolling with victory over UCF

By Rhodes Coffey

Winning streaks are a funny thing. They are both media darlings and fan favorites, but they can find lessened importance if the teams that own them play sloppily and without fire. However, after its sweep of spring break opponents to stretch the winning streak to six matches, no one can accuse the women's tennis team of playing without desire. Over the past two weeks, No. 75 Rice has downed No. 69 California State University-Northridge, the University of Texas-Pan American and the University of Central Florida, its first Conference-USA foe of the year.After improving its record to 12-4 on the spring season and 9-1 at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium, the team will host Abilene Christian University this Friday at 3 pm. While Abilene Christian - Rice head coach Roger White's alma mater - may be Division II, they are seventh in the country and have lost only one of the last ten matches. They also feature the doubles tandem of Irene Squillaci and Aina Rafolomanantsiatosika, the second-ranked team in D-II.