One of the finest facilities in the southwest, the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium gives the Owls a definitive home-court advantage. Located adjacent to Autry Court on the Rice campus, the stadium was constructed in 1970.

The stadium is named after Jake Hess, the major donor of the facility. Mr. Hess, along with his younger brother, Wilbur, was one of Rice's greatest tennis players. He was the Owls' first all-America player (1932). Wilbur was Rice's first NCAA tennis champion, winning the singles crown in 1935.

The facility features six lighted courts and a 1,400 seat grandstand. The stadium is constantly upgraded to meet the needs of the Owls, demonstrated by the addition of a new scoreboard over stadium court. Unlike the former scoreboard, the new display gives entire match scores for each court as well as team scores.

Other renovations in the recent past include the addition of a team lounge and a coach's stadium office, both of which are located under the grandstand.

In addition to serving as home court for all Rice dual matches, the stadium was the site of the tennis competition at the 1986 U.S. Olympic Festival, the 1990 and 1994 SWC Men's and Women's Tennis Championships, and the 1994 NCAA Men's Regional Championships.

The Owls' home surface continued the tradition of hosting the best in college tennis as it welcomed the 1997 NCAA Southwest Regional. Eight teams competed for the opportunity to travel to Stanford for the NCAA Championships. Tennessee prevailed 5-2 over LSU to claim the regional title and advance to the national competition.