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Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship Underway
4/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 21, 2006
Tulsa, Okla. -
The Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship got underway this morning at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center on the TU campus. The fourth-seeded UAB Blazers and the fifth-seeded UCF Golden Knights took to the court in the first of four matches today.UAB has won eight of its last 10 duel matches, with the two losses coming at the hands of No. 45 Auburn and No. 41 Alabama. The Blazers reached the quarterfinals of the 2005 C-USA Championship, defeating Saint Louis before falling to Louisville. UCF defeated UAB, 5-2, earlier in the season and currently boast an 11-9 record.
Top-seeded and 28th-ranked Rice will take on eighth-seeded Southern Miss in the second match of the day scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. After starting the season 5-5, the Owls went on an 11-match win streak, including victories against seven ranked opponents. Golden Eagle Head Coach Teddy Viator (198-196) is only two wins shy of his 200th career victory at Southern Miss.
In today's third match beginning at 2:00 p.m., third-seeded and 42nd-ranked Tulsa will face sixth-seeded Memphis. TU will be led by 12th-ranked Arnau Brugues, who will enter the tournament as the highest-ranked singles player. He has tallied a 15-1 singles mark this season, including a 7-0 record against ranked opponents.
In the final match today, 35th-ranked SMU, who has yet to lose a first-round match in its last nine league championships and has captured two conference titles, earned the No. 2 seed. The Mustangs will face seventh-seeded East Carolina at 5:00 p.m.
Single day tickets are $5 for adults and $3 youth (16 and under), while an all-session pass is available for $12.
The semifinals are on Saturday, April 22 and will begin at noon, while the championship match will take place on Sunday, April 23 at noon. The championship winner receives Conference USA's automatic bid to the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
For more information on the 2006 Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship, please visit www.conferenceusa.com and click on Championships.
