HOUSTON — No. 30 Rice blanked UTSA, 4-0, on Sunday afternoon in the final match of the Conference USA Pod at the George R. Brown Tennis Center.
The Owls (11-2) snagged the doubles point for an early advantage.
Jake Hansen and Emanuel Llamas combined for a 6-2 win against Christian Carrillo and Jake Rother at No. 3, and the home team clinched the 1-0 lead with a 6-1 triumph by Tommy Bennett and Henrik Munch against Eric Buchalter and Joao Riquelme on the second court. The UTSA duo of Fabian Brand and Diogo Casa held a 4-3 lead over Adam Gustafsson and David Warren at the top spot when the point was decided.
Rice stormed out to a 3-0 edge after Munch beat Brand, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 6 singles and Gustafsson dispatched Rother by the same score at the second spot.
Hansen ended the contest with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Carrillo at No. 3, sending the Owls to their first win against UTSA (1-9) since the 2013 season.
The Roadrunners will return to the courts next weekend when they travel to Corpus Christi for the H-E-B Tournament of Champions. The two-day event is scheduled to get underway on Friday, March 4.
#30 Rice 7, UTSA 0
Doubles
1. Fabian Brand/Diogo Casa (UTSA) vs. Adam Gustafsson/David Warren (RICE) 4-3, unfinished
2. Tommy Bennett/Henrik Munch (RICE) def. Eric Buchalter/Joao Riquelme (UTSA) 6-1
3. Jake Hansen/Emanuel Llamas (RICE) def. Christian Carrillo/Jake Rother (UTSA) 6-2
Singles
1. Tommy Bennett (RICE) vs. Diogo Casa (UTSA) 6-4, 1-3, unfinished
2. Adam Gustafsson (RICE) def. Jake Rother (UTSA) 6-1, 6-0
3. Jake Hansen (RICE) def. Christian Carrillo (UTSA) 6-0, 6-0
4. David Warren (RICE) vs. Joao Riquelme (UTSA) 7-6 (7-1), 2-0, unfinished
5. Emanuel Llamas (RICE) vs. Eric Buchalter (UTSA) 6-6, unfinished
6. Henrik Munch (RICE) def. Fabian Brand (UTSA) 6-1, 6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,2,3)