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Weekly Tennis Notes, Schedules and Results.pdf
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEKRobert Searle, a freshman from Orpington, England, picked up two wins to help the Owls defeat 32nd-ranked Clemson and 31st-ranked Northwestern, giving Rice its fifth Rice Invitational title. Searle, the nations 23rd-ranked singles player defeated Northwesterns Jackie Jenkins, 6-4, 6-2. He also defeated Clemsons Micah Thompson, 6-3, 7-5.
OTHERS NOMINATED - Sergiu Modoc of Fresno State picked up a win from the No. 6 singles spot in a resumed contest against Harvard. He defeated Jason Beren 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (3), after the match had began March 15 at the Blue-Gray Classic in Montgomery, Ala., but with the score tied 3-3, rain halted the proceedings between Modoc and Beren, with Beren leading 4-6, 7-5, 3-2.
NOTES FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE Boise State - The Broncos play host to an old WAC member as well as a current. The Cougars of BYU head north to face off with Boise State, while Fresno State will take on the Broncos its first WAC match of the season. Boise State looks to return to the past, as they hired former head coach Greg Patton. Patton owns a .738 winner percentage in Boise.
Fresno State - The Bulldogs picked up an overdue win, resuming a 3-3 match with Harvard from the Blue/Gray Classic, March 15. Sergiu Modoc picked up the win from the No. 6 singles spot in a resumed contest. He defeated Jason Beren 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (3), after the match was tied 3-3; rain halted the proceedings between Modoc and Beren, with Beren leading 4-6, 7-5, 3-2.
Hawaii - The Rainbows have already picked up four wins this month, upping their record to 10-8. They continue their California swing, as they face UCSB, then head to Irvine, Calif. for the Anteater Invitational before heading back to the island.
Nevada - The Wolf Pack will play in the friendly confines of Caughlin Tennis Club in Reno, Nev., for this first time this season as they host Sonoma State, Sac. State and Montana in a weekend series. Although Nevada has only two wins on the season, with this homestand they will be able to picks up wins and momentum heading into the WAC Championship in April.
Rice - The 24th ranked Owls won their fifth Rice Invitational, sweeping Clemson, Louisiana-Lafeyette and Northwestern at the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium in Houston. Rice, currently boasts the nations second-ranked doubles team in William and Richard Barker, and the WACs highest ranked singles player, junior Richard Barker (22nd). Rice moved into the top 25 for the first time this season, posting a WAC-best 14-2 record.
SMU - Despite a four-match win streak earlier in the season, the Mustangs have been unable to string together wins. The 7-6 Mustangs look to change that as they picked up a, 4-3, win against Columbia, beginning an eight-match home stand.
Tulsa - After having the week off, the Hurricane head to Texas for battles with TCU and SMU. Tulsa, who is 9-8 on the season, has won five of their last six, including a win over then No. 13 North Carolina.
PATTON NAMED HEAD COACH AT BOISE STATE - Former Bronco head coach Greg Patton, who led the Bronco mens tennis team from 1992 through 1998, has been rehired to again serve as the mens tennis head coach. From 1992 through 1998, Patton led the Broncos to five conference championships, with his teams making four NCAA Regional Tournament appearances and the 1997 team finishing fifth nationally. Patton was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1997 after the Broncos top five national finish. In addition to his national coach of the year honor while at Boise State, Patton was also named conference coach of the year five times. His Bronco coaching record is 135-48 for a 73.8 winning percentage.
ITA RANKINGS - Rice moved into the top 25 for the first time this season, coming in 24th. Fresno State moved all the way to 45th, with Tulsa just behin them at 51. SMU is 54th, while Boise State (58) rounds out WAC teams in the top 75. The Rice twin duo of juniors Richard and William Barker fell to No.2 in the nation, after starting off the 2003 season at the top spot. The two won the 2002 Omni Hotels National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships doubles title in November. It was the first indoor national men's doubles title in Rice history. Fellow Owl, freshman Robert Searle, is currently ranked at No. 27. Richard Barker is WACs highest ranked player, coming in this week, 22nd.
How an Average is Determined - A player/team's average is determined from the total number of ranking points (from 8 best singles wins/7 best doubles wins) divided by the number of countable matches played (countable victories (8 this week for singles/7 for doubles) added to points from all losses). There are no changes to the points/formula used from last season, with the exception that 8 wins were counted rather than 7 for this ranking.
WAC TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD IN BOISE This season, the Western Athletic Conference Tournament will be held in Boise, Idaho at the Appleton Tennis Courts on the campus of Boise State, April 25-27. The 2002 champion SMU Mustangs will look to defend their title.