Five of the nation's top 60 teams and seven nationally-ranked singles players and doubles tandems will be showcased during the 2003 Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship on April 16-19, at Charles Heyer Park Tennis Complex in Waukesha, Wis. All 12 teams will compete at the championship, with the top four seeds (Tulane, TCU, South Florida and Louisville) each receiving a first round bye. Marquette University will serve as the host of the four-day event.

No. 1 seed Tulane enters this year’s championship with a 16-5 overall mark (1-1 C-USA) and ranked 19th in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll. The Green Wave are led by the league’s highest ranked player, Michael Kogan, who is seventh in the ITA rankings. Kogan, a junior from Kfar-Saba, Israel, is 22-5 on the season and owns wins against 14 nationally ranked players this year. Kogan and doubles partner, Victor Romero, combine to form the eighth-ranked tandem in the country with an 18-1 mark this spring. The duo is 9-1 against ranked opponents. As a team, Tulane owns wins over SMU, Mississippi State, San Diego State, UAB, Boise State, William & Mary, Tulsa, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Louisiana-Lafayette, all of which are currently or were ranked during the season.

The 19th-ranked Green Wave will open play in the quarterfinal round on April 17 at noon. They will meet the winner of the opening round match between eighth-seeded Charlotte (9-10) and ninth-seeded Saint Louis (7-11). That match is scheduled for April 16 at 10 a.m.

TCU, the 32nd-ranked team by the ITA, picked up the No. 2 seed. The Horned Frogs (13-7) are a perfect 3-0 against C-USA teams, including a win over top-seed Tulane in the C-USA Intraconference Tournament (March 11-13). TCU’s top player is Alex Menchini, who has posted a 16-13 record and is ranked 74th in the nation. The Horned Frogs have qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the last 12 seasons, including a pair of NCAA semifinal appearances

TCU will play on April 17 at 9 a.m. in the quarterfinals against the winner of the opening round match between seventh-seeded UAB (9-12) and 10th-seeded East Carolina (8-11). The Blazers and the Pirates are scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. on April 16.

For the second consecutive year, South Florida (14-6) secured the No. 3 seed and will look to defend its 2002 C-USA Championship title this weekend. The Bulls, ranked 38th in the latest ITA, have defeated a pair of ranked opponents this season. Uli Kiendi tabbed the No. 69 spot with an 8-6 record, while teammate Paco Antelo is 103rd and owns an 8-7 mark this spring.

The Bulls will play their quarterfinal match on April 17 at 9 a.m. They will meet the winner of the first round match between fifth-seed Memphis (13-8) and 12th-seed DePaul (4-17), which is scheduled for 10 a.m. on April 16. Memphis is the only nationally ranked team not to receive a bye into the quarterfinal round. The Tigers are ranked 67th and are led by the doubles tandem of Ben Stapp and Lee Walker.

Louisville, ranked 51st, has an 18-6 record this season and is led by Cody Conley and Paulo Carvalho. Conley is 17-4 in dual match competition, while Carvalho is 12-7. Cardinals will also look to get contributions from Jhonny Berrido, who owns an 18-2 mark this spring.

The Cardinals will play in the quarterfinal round on April 17 at noon. They will meet the winner of sixth-seed Southern Miss (8-11) and 11th seed Marquette (3-12), who meet at 1 p.m. on April 16.

Play continues with the semifinal round on April 18 at 9 a.m. and at noon. The championship match is schedule for noon on April 19. Should inclement weather force the stoppage of play outdoors, the tournament will move to the Helfaer Tennis Stadium on the campus of Marquette University. An updated schedule will be available at Helfaer Stadium should the event move.

Updated scores and match recaps will be available each day on www.C-USASports.com.


2003 Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship
April 16-19, 2003; Heyer Park, Waukesha, Wis.
(Inclement Weather Site: Helfaer Tennis Stadium, Milwaukee, Wis.)


Wednesday, April 16 -- Matches 1-4 are opening round
Match 1: (5) Memphis vs. (12) DePaul
10 a.m.
Match 2: (8) Charlotte vs. (9) Saint Louis 10 a.m.
Match 3: (6) Southern Miss vs. (11) Marquette 1 p.m.
Match 4: (7) UAB vs. (10) East Carolina 1 p.m.


Thursday, April 17 -- Matches 5-8 are quarterfinal round
Match 5: (2) TCU vs. Winner-4 9 a.m.
Match 6: (3) South Florida vs. Winner-1 9 a.m.
Match 7: (1) Tulane vs. Winner-2 noon
Match 8: (4) Louisville vs. Winner-3 noon

--Matches 9-10 are ninth place semifinals
Match 9: Loser-2 vs. Loser-3 3 p.m.
Match 10: Loser-1 vs. Loser-4 3 p.m.


Friday, April 18 -- Matches 11, 13 are semifinal matches
Match 11: Winner-5 vs. Winner-6 9 a.m.
Match 12: Ninth-place, Winner-9 vs. Winner-10 9 a.m.
Match 13: Winner-7 vs. Winner-8 noon


-- Matches 14-15 are fifth-place semifinals
Match 14: Loser-7 vs. Loser-8 noon
Match 15: Loser-5 vs. Loser-6 3 p.m.


Saturday, April 19
Match 16: Third place, Loser-11 vs. Loser-13 9 a.m.
Match 17: Fifth Place, Winner-14 vs. Winner-15 9 a.m.
Match 18: Championship, Winner-11 vs. Winner-13 noon