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The Rice Thresher
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Three-set losses haunt Owls in tough loss to 44th-ranked Ohio State by ERIC RAUB THRESHER STAFF Unfortunately for the men's tennis team, there's no consolation prize for losing a three-set match. Unlike professional hockey, where teams receive a point for an overtime loss, college tennis does not have any such condolence. As a result, the Owls have suffered. The last two weeks have been more of the same for Rice (13-9). After wins over the University of Toledo and Bowling Green University on March 31, the Owls dropped matches to 44th-ranked Ohio State University Sunday and eighth-ranked Texas A&M University Tuesday. The 4-2 loss to the Buckeyes was made especially difficult by the fact that the Owls carried four matches out to three sets before losing. Although the injury bug has certainly taken its toll on the Owls this season - and it continues to be a factor - three-set losses have been a more painful burden. "We've played 19 close matches," head coach Ron Smarr said. "Seventeen of them were out to three sets. We've only won four. If you don't win the close matches you're not going to beat the good teams. We could be 17-5 if it weren't for the close losses." The Owls sense that at this point in the season, with only four dual matches remaining before the Western Athletic Conference Tournament April 28-30, they must address the problem and find a way to start winning some close matches. "We really have to do something," senior Robert Collins said. "We have to change it up somehow. We've lost a lot of tough three-setters, and we have to figure out what's going on. It's not just a matter of the law of averages, where you lose 50 percent of the three-setters. That's not been happening. I don't know what it is." However, the Owls do find some comfort in the fact that the close losses indicate that their competitiveness is where it needs to be. "We played them close," Collins said. "It was a good dual match and we played some close matches. ... We played well." The team is especially proud of its effort in losing 4-1 to the highly ranked Aggies, a team that has beaten the No. 2 and 3 teams in the nation. "We really played one of our better matches in singles," Smarr said. "It wasn't like we were blown out. We were in the hunt for the doubles point. It wasn't a cakewalk for them and we really competed pretty well." As a result, Rice's confidence has continued to increase. "I actually feel better about us now than I did the first six or seven matches," Smarr said. "We still have a good chance to salvage a pretty good season. We're playing hard and attitudes are improving. We're not going to pack up our bags just yet." Rice visited the University of Texas at Arlington yesterday in a match that essentially represents the calm before the storm. The Owls visit No. 15 Texas Christian University and No. 9 Southern Methodist University - both WAC foes - tomorrow and Sunday. Despite the challenge, Collins thinks the Owls can hold their own. "On the whole, it's just a matter of grinding through it," Collins said. "Maybe we can make something happen." - back - |
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