Men's Tennis preview: Tulsa
WHAT: No. 6 Texas (15-3, 3-0 Big 12) hosts No. 12 Tulsa (16-3). WHERE: Penick-Allison Tennis Center - Austin, Texas WHEN: Thursday, April 3 - 6 p.m. Central LAST MEETING WITH TULSA: Texas defeated Tulsa by a 4-3 count on Feb. 9, 2007 at Tulsa's Case Tennis Center. Texas holds an 8-0 lead in its series with Tulsa. UT COACH Michael Center ON TULSA: "It'll be a great test on Thursday. Tulsa has been in the top 10, and this is a team with a complete lineup from top to bottom. They have one of the best players in the country in Arnau Brugues. They have tremendous players. This will be a big-time challenge for us Thursday night. We've had some great home crowds, and I hope our fans can come out and support us again, not just for this match, but also for our home finale on April 19 against Texas A&M. We appreciate every one of our fans coming out to the matches." THE 2008 LONGHORNS: Under head coach Michael Center, the 2007 USPTA National College Coach of the Year, Texas returns all 10 letterwinners from the 2007 squad that registered a 20-9 record and reached the round of 16 at the NCAA Championship. Texas reached the finals of the Big 12 Championship for a second consecutive season after defeating Texas Tech and upsetting Oklahoma State in the opening rounds. Newcomers Kellen Damico and Ed Corrie have excelled early on in their Longhorn careers. Damico won singles titles at the H-E-B Baylor Fall Invitational and the Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational in his first semester, and Corrie claimed the Texas Invitational in November. Damico has twice been named the Big 12 Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Week. Texas coach Michael Center collected his 300th career victory against Alabama. Now in his 17th year as a head coach, Center holds a 308-123 (.715) overall record and a 149-55 (.730) mark at Texas.
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