Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Scratch Back, Resume Play at Rice Invitational
3/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 21, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Break time is over, as Northwestern's men's tennis team gets back into the swing of things this weekend at the Rice Invitational in Houston, Texas. Looking to end a two-match losing skid, NU is set to face Clemson, Rice and Louisiana-Lafayette in its first outdoor play of the season.
"We're really excited about our first outdoor matches of the year," said NU head coach Paul Torricelli. "We're going up against some good teams that have played outside all along. It'll be a stiff test."
NU's first match is at 2 p.m. against No. 32 Clemson, which will be a family reunion of sorts for Jackie Jenkins (College Park, Ga./Westlake). Jenkins' brother, Jarmaine, is a freshman starter for the Tigers. Jarmaine has hit the ground running since joining the college ranks, putting together an 11-3 singles mark. He also pairs with Nathan Thompson at No. 1 doubles. The tandem is 12-2 overall and 9-2 in dual competition. Jackie is 10-12 overall, including 7-5 in dual competition. After starting slow, he has won seven of his last 12 matches.
NU takes on No. 30 Rice at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Owls are off to an 11-2 start, including their run to the semifinals of last week's Blue/Gray Classic. Rice is led by the twin Barker brothers. Richard Barker is the reigning Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week after upending 12th-ranked Daniel Klementz of Middle Tennessee State and 65th-ranked Vedran Vidovic of Indiana State last week. Besides owning an 11-2 spring singles mark, he also pairs with his brother, William, to form the top-ranked doubles tandem in the nation. The Barker brothers are 24-1 overall and 12-0 this spring.
NU closes out the weekend against Louisiana-Lafayette. Match time is set for 9 a.m. Monday.
"Rice and Clemson are very strong teams," Torricelli said. "Louisiana-Lafayette is better than their ranking indicates, and we need to respond from our last two losses."
