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RICES BARKERS EARN DOUBLES TOP SEED - The NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Subcommittee has selected 64 singles players and 32 doubles teams that will compete in the 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships.
Top-seeded Richard and William Barker are 29-2 this year and currently riding a 20-match win streak that includes a perfect 18-0 mark in duals. The pair was the 2003 ITA national doubles team of the year and advanced to the semifinals of last year's NCAA doubles championships.
William Barker and teammate Robert Searle both received at-large bids for the singles championships. Barker earned all-America honors at last year's tournament after advancing to the round of 16. For Searle, the bid is his second in his two years as a collegian.
Tulsa senior Dustin Taylor was selected to participate in the 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Singles Tennis Championships. Taylor and Alejandro Tejerina will also take part in the doubles championships, with brackets and times to be announced at a later date. Taylor, the nation's 61st-ranked singles player, will be making his second NCAA Tournament appearance. He posted a 12-14 singles mark this year, including a 5-7 record against ranked opponents.
Boise States Guillaume Bouvier, who was named first-team all-WAC, also earned a bid. Bouvier plays out of the Mountain Region. SMUs Johan Brunstrom, the WAC Player of the Year, will also play in the singles tournament. Brunstrom plays in the South Central Region along with Rice.
The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 26-31 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following the conclusion of the team championship (May 22-25). Each region receives automatic entry for four singles players and two doubles teams.
The subcommittee has also announced the seedings for the singles and doubles competition. The seeds are based upon competition between September 7, 2003 and May 2, 2004.
RICE, SMU AND FRESNO STATE EARN BIDS TO NCAA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP - The NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Subcommittee has selected 64 teams that will compete in the 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships. WAC Champion, Rice, SMU and Fresno State all made the field.
No. 14 Rice (22-3) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Rice is paced by the ITA's top ranked doubles tandem of Richard and William Barker, who have not lost a dual match since the 2001 NCAA tournament. Rice will head to Baton Rouge, La., to face South Alabama on May 15 at 12:00 p.m. The victor will face the winner of the LSU and Southern match on May 16 at 1:00 pm.
The 46th-ranked Fresno State Bulldogs (13-9) heads to Westwood, Calif., to play 25th-ranked Pepperdine on May 15 at 9 a.m. A victory would place them in the second round against the winner of the Oral Roberts and UCLA match. The Bruins are the tournament's No. 4 seed.
For the eighth consecutive year, SMU will compete in NCAA Championship play. The Mustangs will take on Georgia Tech in first round action May 14-15 in Waco, Texas. The winner of the will take on the Baylor-Manhattan match winner.
After the first two rounds of competition, the men's round of 16 through the finals takes place in Tulsa, Okla., at the The University of Tulsa on May 22-25.
RICE WINS FIRST WAC TITLE- The host Rice men won their first Western Athletic Conference tennis championship on Sunday with a 4-1 victory over SMU at the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium on the university campus in Houston.
The top-seeded and 13th-ranked Owls were led by the strength of Richard and William Barker. The pair form the No. 1 doubles team in the country, with William also ranked 46th in singles.
The Barkers began the day with a tough 8-5 victory over the Mustangs' 29th-ranked tandem of Johan Brunstrom and Henrik Soderberg. The Owls then clinch the doubles point as Tony Haerle and Vuk Rajevac held off Gwinyai Chingoka and Paul McNaughton for an 8-5 win at No. 2.
The Mustangs quickly struck back in singles when Alex Skrypko scored a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Rajevac at No. 5, knotting the team score at 1-1. Haerle answered for the Owls at No. 4 singles with his 6-3, 6-1 decision against the Mustangs' Federico Murgier. Richard Barker put Rice within a single point of the title, with a strong 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 3. The senior Barker clinched the team title with his win against Chingoka.
ITA RANKINGS - Rice is the highest ranked WAC team in the most recent ITA rankings. The Owls are No. 14. This week, SMU is No. 35, while Boise State fell to No. 45. Rounding out the top 60 is Fresno State at No. 46 and Tulsa and No. 57. The Rice twin duo of Richard and William Barker are currently ranked No. 1.
NATIONAL TEAM INDOORS - Tulsa and Boise State played at the ITA/USTA National Team Indoor Championship in Seattle, Wash. This was Tulsas first trip to the national indoor tournament. Both schools went 0-3 at the prestigious tournament. Defending NCAA Champion, Illinois, repeated as ITA/USTA National Team Indoor Champions. Tulsa lost to Illinois in the first round, 4-0.