IRVING, Texas \u2013 The Rice men’s tennis team earned the No. 1 seed for the 2026 American Conference Men’s Tennis Championship, which will be held from April 16-19 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Tulsa.<\/p>\n
The men’s championship begins with Thursday’s three first-round matches and continues through the Sunday tournament final. The winner of the men’s championship will earn the American’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship.<\/p>\n
Seeds for the championship were determined by the ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings through matches as of Sunday, April 12.<\/p>\n
Rice earned the No. 1 seed after the Owls finished with a 13-7 dual match record in the regular season, including a perfect 8-0 mark head-to-head against fellow American Conference teams. The Owls are looking to become the third men’s tennis program to defend the American tournament title in conference history after winning last year’s championship as the fifth seed in Memphis, Tennessee. Rice begins its title defense on April 17 at 11 a.m. ET\/10 a.m. CT against the winner of Thursday’s first-round match between No. 9-seeded Tulane and No. 8 UAB.<\/p>\n
Charlotte, the No. 2 seed, is looking for its second American title in three years after the 49ers captured the conference crown in 2024. Charlotte will face either No. 10 Temple or No. 7 Florida Atlantic on April 17 at 3 p.m. ET\/2 p.m. CT in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
Memphis, the 2025 American championship runner-up, is the No. 3 seed in the tournament field. The Tigers, who have finished as the tournament runner-up on four separate occasions, will play a quarterfinal match on April 17 against either No. 11-seeded UTSA or the host team No. 6 Tulsa at 3 p.m. ET\/2 p.m. CT.<\/p>\n
The No. 4 seed in the tournament is South Florida, the five-time tournament champion (2014-17, 2019). The Bulls will take on No. 5 Wichita State in the quarterfinals on April 17 at 11 a.m. ET\/10 a.m. CT.<\/p>\n