UC Santa Barbara freshman Philip Therp takes on Rice's No. 1 singles player Ben Harknett in the first round of the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. on Wednesday. Therp will take the court at 9:30 a.m. (PT).

If Therp advances, he would face the winner between Auburn's Robbert Lathouwers and Steven Moneke of Ohio State, the No. 5 seed in the 64-player draw. That match would take place on Thursday, May 24.

Therp earned Big West Freshman of the Year honors after missing a good portion of the season with a broken left wrist. He injured the wrist in a February 9 match against Boise State and was sidelined for 11 matches. He returned to action in late March, but only under the condition that he play one-handed. Despite playing at a disadvantage, Therp still posted a 4-4 mark and remained in the top 125 ITA rankings.

He has been cleared to play with both hands for the NCAA Championship, for the first time since his injury. Therp is the first Gaucho since Carlos Palencia in 2002 to compete in the NCAA singles championships.

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