Oct. 16, 2008

HOUSTON--The University of Houston tennis team will start fall play at Rice, where they will compete in the 28th Annual Rice Classic, slated to begin at 9 a.m. Friday. The exhibition tournament will last all weekend.

Friday, the doubles matches will begin at 9 a.m. Senior Jordan McCombs and sophomore transfer Laura Ring will compete in the top-Flight spot. In Flight B, senior Lynley Wasson and sophomore Lucy Forward will compete.

Freshman Alix Young and senior Vicky Simpson will team up in Flight C, while junior Neila Starratt and sophomore Joanna Kacpryzk will compete in the Flight D.

The singles matches will follow doubles play.

Last season, the Cougars finished the season 16-11 and 0-3 in Conference USA.

Head coach John Severance led the Cougars to the Quarterfinals at the C-USA Championships last season, played at the John E. Hoff Courts, where Rice defeated Houston, 4-3.

In 2008, Severance finished the season with his fourth-consecutive winning record. With the wins, Severance has increased his overall record to 66-35, ranking him third on Houston's all-time coaching records, leaving him just five wins shy of second-place coach Daryl Gralka. Severance is ranked second with his winning percentage of .653.

Next Up
Following this weekends' matches, the Cougars will travel to Fort Worth Oct. 23-27 to compete in the ITA Regional.