Feb. 19, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

IRVING, Texas - Tulsa's Will Gray is the Conference USA Men's Tennis Player of the Week after picking up two crucial victories against Arkansas and No. 39 Auburn last weekend. Gray clinched the 4-3 win over the Razorbacks with his win at No. 3 and picked up TU's third point in its road victory over the No. 39 Tigers. Tulsa's Alexandra Kichoutkin and Rice's Dominique Karas share the C-USA Women's Tennis Player of the Week honor. Kichoutkin improved to 10-0 in singles and 8-1 in doubles this spring with two more wins over San Houston State and Kansas State. Karas went 3-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles as Rice downed Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State, but fell to No. 26 Texas, 5-2.

MEN'S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE WEEK (2/19)
WILL GRAY - Tulsa
Sr., Tulsa, Okla. (Holland Hall)
Gray, a TU co-captain, picked up two crucial victories in Tulsa's two road victories last weekend. Gray beat Chris Nott, 6-3, 6-4 in the No. 3 position, clinching the match for the Golden Hurricane in its 4-3 victory over central region rival Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. The senior then picked up TU's third point at No. 4 in its road victory over 39th-ranked Auburn in Auburn, Ala., defeating Pawel Dilaj, 6-2, 6-3 at the No. 4 position. Gray is 6-4 on the season in dual matches, playing at positions No. 3-5.

CO-WOMEN'S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE WEEK (2/19)
ALEXANDRA KICHOUTKIN - Tulsa
Fr., New York, N.Y. (Rothberg)
Kichoutkin posted two more victories to move to 10-0 in singles on the spring season. She is 3-0 at No. 1, 2-0 at No. 2 and 5-0 at No. 3. Kichoutkin also picked up two more doubles wins and is now 8-1 in doubles play with partner Jie Zeng. On Friday agasint Sam Houston State, she downed Irina Sotnikova, 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6) in singles and notched an 8-2 doubles win over Eleonora Kuruc/Patricia Manzur, 8-2. The Golden Hurricane blasted the Sam Houston State Bearkats 7-0. In TU's other match of the weekend against Kansas State, Kichoutkin defeated Viviana Yrureta, 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4) and won 8-5 over Vanessa Cottin/Pauline Guemas in doubles. This is Kichoutkin's second weekly honor in 2008 (Feb. 5).

CO-WOMEN'S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE WEEK (2/19)
Dominique Karas - Rice
Jr., Halifax, Nova Scotia (St. Patrick's)
Karas tallied an undefeated singles week as the Rice women's tennis team went 2-1 with its lone setback coming at No. 26 Texas. Karas won all three of her singles matches in straight sets, including a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 3 over Texas' Courtney Zauft. The Nova Scotia product turned away a 5-3 deficit in the second set and emerged in a tiebreaker against Kathrin Lange of Northwestern State. Karas teamed up with Julie Chao as Rice's top doubles team for a 2-1 week. The weekly honor is the first of Karas' career.