HOUSTON After 14 1/2 hours of tennis, seven of eight semifinalists have been set for the 2004 Western Athletic Conference Mens and Womens Tennis Championships at the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium on the Rice campus, with the outcome of the SMU/Hawaii womens match to be determined on Saturday morning.
The No. 2 Mustangs held a 1-0 advantage against the No. 7 Wahine after winning the doubles point, when the rains that had been threatening all day finally converged over the stadium. Singles will resume play Saturday at the Jewish Community Centers new indoor tennis facility in southwest Houston at approximately 9 am.
In other womens action, the host Owls, seeded fourth, became the first team to advance to the semifinals with their 4-1 win against Boise State. Rice had to rally in doubles to take the point, then scored wins at one, three and six singles to secure the team victory. Rice will face No. 1 seed Fresno State on Saturday at 2 pm.
The Bulldogs dominated No. 8 San Jose State in their 4-0 first-round victory. Fresno States Courtney Jantz teamed with Lucia Tallo for an 8-1 win at No. 1 doubles, then scored a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 5 singles to aid her teams cause.
Tulsa advanced to the 4:30 pm semifinal and will face the winner of the SMU/Hawaii match. The No. 3 Hurricane knocked out No. 6 UTEP with a 4-1 win. Ilona Somers clinched the victory for her team with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Martina Rezar at the top spot.
On the mens side, No. 5 Tulsa won the closest match of the day with a 4-3 decision against No. 4 Fresno State. The Golden Hurricane took the doubles point then won at the top three singles positions to eliminate the Bulldogs from the tournament. Dustin Taylor scored a 6-4, 6-3 win against Greg Shearer at No. 1 singles to clinch the team victory. Tulsa will next face Rice, which received a first-round bye as the top seed, in Saturdays 11:30 am semifinal match
The No. 3 Broncos blasted No. 6 Hawaii 4-0 in the second match of the day. Boise States Matias Silva had the most impressive singles victory of the day, blanking Derrick Lajola 6-0, 6-0 at the four spot. Next up for the Broncos are the No. 2 Mustangs, 4-0 winners over Nevada in the late match. The match is slated for a 9 am start.
Action continues Saturday at the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium. In case of rain, play will relocate to the Downtown Club at the Met and the Jewish Community Center. Complete results and daily updates are available at www.RiceOwls.com.