April 23, 2010

HOUSTON, Texas -

Tulsa/Memphis Results

The Memphis men's tennis team saw their 2010 season come to a close to the same foe that they opened the spring dual season with. The No. 36 Tulsa Golden Hurricane took down the Tigers, 4-0, on Friday in the second round of the Conference USA Men's Tennis Tournament at the Jake Hess Tennis Center in Houston, Texas.

The Tigers end their year with an 11-12 mark. The Golden Hurricane, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, advance to face the winner of the match between UAB and SMU. Tulsa improves to 15-9 with Friday's victory. The Golden Hurricane is seeking their fifth-straight Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship.

The dual between Tulsa and Memphis was set to commence at 8 a.m., on Friday morning on the campus of Rice University but was delayed until 11 a.m., due to rain in the Houston area. Because of the late start it was decided that the match would begin with the six singles matches instead of the usual format of three doubles matches to earn the doubles point and then the six singles matches.

The Golden Hurricane came out of the gate and was able to take four singles matches from the Tigers to earn the victory. Alistair Barnes started Tulsa on the winning track at the No. 4 slot with a 6-2, 6-4, decision over Memphis' Michael Janz. Janz, a junior from Lousanne, Switzerland, ends his first season with the Tigers with an overall mark of 9-12.

54th-ranked singles netter Ashley Watling widened the margin to 2-0 for Tulsa with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over David Henry. Henry, a sophomore from Signal Mountain, Tenn., stepped up in a big way for the Tigers during his second season in the Bluff City. After playing singles in only three dual matches in 2009, Henry made the jump to the top of the lineup for the U of M where he capped off his sophomore campaign with an 11-10 record.

At No. 1 singles, Marcelo Arevalo, rated No. 35 in his freshman season with the Golden Hurricane, upended Jordan Smith, 6-1, 7-6. Smith concludes the 2010 season with a 5-10 record.

Marko Ballok gave Tulsa the fourth and final point needed for the decision with a 6-4, 6-3, win over John Taylor. Taylor concludes his first season with Memphis after transferring from Utah with a 12-6 record.

The win marked the second this season for the Golden Hurricane over the Tigers. Tulsa picked up a 5-2 victory in the first match of the season despite Memphis winning the doubles point to start the match.

The Tigers conclude the 2010 season with 11 wins, marking their second-straight 10 win season and their third in Paul Goebel's six years as the boss for the U of M. The Memphis season included several ups and downs centering around a depleted roster after season-ending injuries forced Leon Nasemann and Michael Hayes out of the lineup. Nasemann was expected to compete at the top of the lineup for the Tigers before suffering his injury.

Friday's second round match against the Golden Hurricane marked the first time since the 2004 season that the U of M has made it past the first day of the tournament. Memphis upended No. 9-seed Tulane in the opening round on Thursday, 4-1, to advance to face Tulsa. Friday's loss marks the second-straight season that Tulsa has ended the season for the U of M. Memphis lost to Tulsa, 4-0, in the first round of the 2009 C-USA Men's Tennis Championship.