The Rice men’s tennis team announced on April 2 that it will host Tulsa and Memphis for a pair of conference matches at the George R. Brown Tennis Center in Houston.
These matches are significant as they offer Rice an opportunity to extend its current seven-match winning streak and maintain its undefeated record in conference play this season. The Owls enter the weekend with an overall record of 11-6 and a perfect 6-0 mark within their conference.
Rice will first face Tulsa, which leads the all-time series against Rice, on Friday at 5 p.m. Central Time. The last meeting between these teams saw Rice win 4-1 in April of last year, but the Owls have not hosted Tulsa since falling to them in Houston in 2013.
On Sunday at 11 a.m., Rice will take on Memphis, holding a narrow lead in their all-time series. The Owls previously defeated Memphis 4-2 during their most recent encounter last April and last welcomed them to Houston with a victory back in 2013.
According to the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, Rice is ranked No. 57 nationally as a team. The doubles pairing of Petro Kuzmenok and Santiago Navarro is ranked No. 48 nationally, while Kuzmenok holds the No. 55 spot individually in singles competition.
Looking ahead, these home matches present key opportunities for Rice to further solidify its position within both conference standings and national rankings.
