Islanders Stay Competitive in Defeat at Rice

HOUSTON – Despite a 4-0 result in favor of Rice, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's tennis program kept it close on several courts Tuesday at the George R. Brown Tennis Center.
 
The Islanders (12-3) were winning on two singles courts against the Owls (7-6) and didn't go down easy on the other four.
 
"I feel this team is so close to reaching the next level! They're right at the door and knocking hard. They're doing all the things they can control and all the things you appreciate as a coach – they work incredibly hard, are disciplined and they put the team first. We've just got to get them to commit 100 percent to the right style in key moments of the match. That's our job as coaches to get them up those stairs and through the door! Rice is a very, very good team and very well coached. These concepts are exposed against an elite team like Rice, but I love the character of this group and I believe we will get there," said head coach Steve Moore.
 
The middle of the lineup excelled the most for A&M-Corpus Christi. At No. 3 singles, freshman Nathan Schwartz won the first set 6-3 and was tied 4-4 in the second before the match went unfinished.
 
On the court next to him, freshman Pascal Lorieul was attempting to complete a comeback before the match went unfinished. He dropped the first set 6-4 before answering with a 6-2 second set win to even the match. Lorieul was up 1-0 to start the third.
 
Lorieul remained undefeated in singles on the year with an 8-0 record.
 
In doubles, the closest match came at the No. 3 spot where Schwartz and senior Chad Nguyen were battling hard. They trailed 4-2 but were putting up a fight before the doubles point was clinched at the other courts.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi will face another stiff test Thursday when it travels to UTSA for a 2 p.m. match. The Islanders are 14-6 all-time against the Roadrunners including a 5-2 mark on the road.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 11 NCAA Tournaments
- 25 SLC Championships
- 4 Top-40 National Rankings
- 3.0 GPA 31 Straight Semesters
- Islanders have received a No. 3 seed at the NCAA Tournament three times
- Women's tennis has cracked the ITA top-75 national rankings three times
- Men's tennis has cracked the ITA national rankings 10 consecutive years
- Ranked nationally in NCAA DI as high as No. 35 for the men and No. 60 for the women
 
Rice 4, A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Doubles Competition
1. Conrad Russell/Sumit Sarkar (RICE) def. Ryuya Ata/Kyohei Yamanaka (AMCC) 6-1
2. Mohamed Abdel-Aziz/Jacob Eskeland (RICE) def. Carlos Berna Ruiz/Pascal Lorieul (AMCC) 6-0
3. Wes Barnett/Trinity Grear (RICE) vs. Chad Nguyen/Nathan Schwartz (AMCC) 4-2, unfinished
 
Singles Competition
1. Sumit Sarkar (RICE) def. Ryuya Ata (AMCC) 6-4, 6-2
2. Mohamed Abdel-Aziz (RICE) def. Kyohei Yamanaka (AMCC) 6-3, 6-3
3. Campbell Salmon (RICE) vs. Nathan Schwartz (AMCC) 3-6, 4-4, unfinished
4. Wes Barnett (RICE) vs. Pascal Lorieul (AMCC) 6-4, 2-6, 0-1, unfinished
5. Adam Oscislawski (RICE) def. Carlos Berna Ruiz (AMCC) 6-4, 6-3
6. Trinity Grear (RICE) vs. Borja Delgado (AMCC) 7-5, 4-0, unfinished

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