May 27, 2006

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Rice's senior tandem of Tony Haerle and Robert Searle were knocked out of the 2006 NCAA doubles championships after a tough 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) loss to Miami's Luigi D'Agord and Daniel Vallverdu on Friday in Palo Alto, Calif.

After falling back 3-1 in the first, the 18th-ranked Owl duo came back to tie the score at 3-3 against the 10th-ranked Hurricane pair. After battling back and forth, Haerle and Searle tied the score again at 6-6 to force the tiebreak. It was a similar story in the second set.

The Owls won the first game of the second frame, but D'Agord and Vallverdu won the next three, then went on to take a 5-3 advantage. Haerle and Searle fought off a pair of match points and rallied to win three-straight games to regain the lead at 6-5. The Hurricanes answered back with a solid serve to force a second tiebreak and held on to their momentum for the win.

The loss concludes the Owls' 2005-06 campaign and caps the collegiate careers of both Haerle and Searle. The pair produced a 17-7 overall record over the course of the year, including a 13-5 mark in duals, and both recorded 71 doubles victories with different partners during their four-year careers. The pair was previously named the outstanding doubles team of the Conference USA tournament. The NCAA doubles appearance was a first for both Owls, while Searle also made his fourth-straight appearance in the singles championship, advancing to the second round.

Searle finished his singles career with a 102-44 overall record, including a 28-12 mark in his final year. Haerle posted an 86-47 collegiate singles mark and led the Owls in 2006 with a 17-5 dual record.