SAN ANTONIO — No. 3 seed UTSA will open play in the Conference USA Championship against No. 6 Southern Miss at 9 a.m. Central time on Friday, April 17, at Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center in Norfolk, Va.
The UTSA/Southern Miss winner will advance to face the winner of the contest between No. 2 and host Old Dominion and No. 7 UAB in the semifinal round at 11 a.m. (CT) on Saturday. The other half of the bracket features top seed Rice with a bye to the semifinals, where it will face either No. 4 Charlotte or fifth-seeded Middle Tennessee. The championship match is slated for 10 a.m. (CT) on Sunday, with the winner earning a bid to the NCAA Championships. Live stats will be provided online at 2015 Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship Central.
The Roadrunners (14-8) are making their fifth straight appearance in a conference tournament under fifth-year head coach Jeff Kader and are meeting the Golden Eagles (15-8) for the second time this year and fourth overall. UTSA got the best of Southern Miss by posting a 6-1 victory on Feb. 15 at the UTSA Tennis Center and can knot the all-time series at two apiece with a win on Friday.
UTSA is coming off its 12th win in the last 16 contests with a 6-1 home triumph over NCAA Division III seventh-ranked Trinity last Saturday. The Roadrunners are 3-1 against C-USA competition this season, including wins against Rice (4-3) and UAB (7-0) to go along with the Southern Miss victory and a 5-2 home setback to Old Dominion.
Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles dropped a 5-2 home decision to South Alabama in their last outing and are 1-2 against league foes with the only win a 4-2 decision against UAB on March 20.
UTSA senior Tomas Stillman, the ITA's 82nd-ranked singles player, leads the team with a 17-3 dual match record. The Harlingen native, the 2014 C-USA Newcomer of the Year, has been victorious in 15 of his last 16 finished matches.
Tito Moreiras is second on the team with a 15-4 singles record and has won 12 of his last 13 finished contests. The sophomore transfer also has teamed with Stillman to form the ITA's No. 67-ranked doubles duo with a 6-1 record entering this weekend.
UTSA has captured three conference tournament titles in its history with the last coming in its final year as a member of the Southland Conference in 2012. At last year's C-USA Tournament, the Roadrunners were eliminated by UAB (4-2) in the opening round.