Final Stats

By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike

HOUSTON - UT Arlington ended a three-match road trip with a hard fought loss to Rice on Thursday at the George R. Brown Tennis Center.

The Mavericks (0-3) fell 4-0 to the Owls, however, UT Arlington coach Diego Benitez saw improvement from his squad to remain optimistic about the road ahead.

"It was better today, there was more intensity and focus in doubles and singles," Benitez said. "The last couple of days were really beneficial. It was a tough match against some good competition. We took a couple of really good players to three sets. They are a good team and are going to be highly ranked."

UTA's doubles group nearly picked up the opening point. Daniel Armengol and Jhonathan Gonzalez led 5-4 as Rice claimed a Court 1 win, leaving Mario Muniesa and Guanarteme Nuez in an important game. The pair battled closely on Court 3, however fell 6-4 to the host.

In singles, UTA had two matches go to three sets with each going unfinished due to other results. Muniesa and Arbiza each left their respective matches unfinished as Rice claimed three singles wins to take the overall decision.

The Mavericks return home for their home opener on Saturday at the UTA Tennis Center. The Mavs begin a four-match homestand against Dallas Baptist and DePaul on Saturday. The opening match begins at 10 a.m.

"Hopefully we can come home and get our opener on Saturday," Benitez said. "We need to be comfortable on our court and it is going to be a good match on Saturday with a doubleheader. The guys are looking forward to it."