HOUSTON, Texas – Playing in a loaded Rice Invitational field, the No. 74 William & Mary men's tennis team dropped a pair of matches to national top-40 competition on Saturday. The Green and Gold claimed the doubles point from No. 9 Texas Tech behind a ranked win from senior Scott Huang and sophomore Christian Cargill, but fell to the Red Raiders, 4-1. The Tribe (11-5) battled tough with the host and No. 40-ranked Rice (16-5), but despite a singles win from junior Damon Niquet, dropped a 4-1 decision.
 
The Tribe opened the 58th edition of the Rice Invitational in impressive fashion by taking the doubles point from No. 9 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders lineup featured a pair of nationally-ranked teams, and they had captured the doubles point in 15 of their 21 contests, including each of the last four. After Texas Tech's No. 6-ranked duo took the top spot, sophomore Lars de Boer and Niquet evened thing with a 6-2 win at the No. 3 spot over Connor Curry and Jolan Cailleau.
 
Teaming together for the first time in dual-match action this season, Cargill and Huang tallied an impressive victory at the No. 2 spot, knocking off a nationally-ranked pair to capture the initial point of the match. The Green and Gold duo downed the No. 53-ranked team of Alex Sendegeya and Bjorn Thomson, 6-4.
 
Texas Tech answered with singles victories at the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 positions to pick up their 20th win of the year. Despite a loss at the top spot, Cargill turned in a strong showing against a national top-15 opponent. The Red Raiders' Felipe Soares and Cargill battled into a tiebreaker in the opening set, before the No. 14-ranked player in country pulled out a 7-6 (3) win. He outlasted the Tribe sophomore in the second set, 7-5, to clinch the Texas Tech win.
 
de Boer was leading in the third set at the No. 4 position when his match was abandoned with the team result decided. After dropping the opening set, 6-1, to Cailleau, de Boer won the second set, 6-2, and led 3-2 in the third.
 
In the nightcap, the Tribe went toe-to-toe with No. 40 Rice in a match that finished much closer than the final score would indicate. Despite falling to the Owls, the Green and Gold dropped a tightly-contested doubles point, and along with Niquet's singles win, W&M led in two other matches when they were abandoned with the team results decided.
 
In doubles, the Owls won the No. 1 position, and the initial point of the match came down to a pair of 5-5 matches at No. 2 and No. 3. For the second time on the day, Cargill and Huang posted a win at the No. 2 position, upending Adam Gustafsson and Jamie Malik, 7-5. The Tribe duo improved to 7-2 on the year. Unfortunately for the Green and Gold, Rice's Emanuel Llamas and Jake Hansen pulled out the final two games at No. 3 to down Niquet and de Boer, claiming the doubles point with a 7-5 win.
 
Niquet got W&M on the board with his 11th-straight win. He won the final two games to take the opening set, 6-3, at No. 6, before sweeping Zach Yablon, 6-0, in the second set. Niquet improved to 11-1 in dual-match play and 14-8 overall.
 
The Owls claimed wins at No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5 to cement the team triumph. The deciding match with a tight, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win by Llamas over junior Aidan Talcott at No. 5.
 
Sophomores Alec Miller and Cargill both led in their matches when the tilts were abandoned with the team result decided. At the top spot, Cargill claimed the opening set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (5), from Rice's Tommy Bennett. After Bennett won the second, 6-1, Cargill led 2-1 in the third set when the match was called. Miller was on the verge of closing out a win at No. 3 when his contest was halted. He took the first set, 7-5, and led 5-1 in the second over Hansen.
 
The Tribe closes out competition in the Rice Invitational on Sunday, March 27, when it faces No. 44 Drake. The match carries at 1 p.m. ET start time with live results and video available at RiceOwls.com.
 
#9 Texas Tech 4, #74 William & Mary 1
Singles
No. 1 – #14 Felipe Soares (Texas Tech) def. Christian Cargill (W&M) – 7-6 (3), 7-5
No. 2 – #116 Hugo Dojas (Texas Tech) def. Addison Appleby (W&M) – 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 – #108 Alex Sendegeya (Texas Tech) def. Alec Miller (W&M) – 6-3, 6-2
No. 4 – Lars de Boer (W&M) vs. Jolan Cailleau (Texas Tech) – DNF, 1-6, 6-2, 3-2
No. 5 – Connor Curry (Texas Tech) def. Aidan Talcott (W&M) – 6-2, 6-2
No. 6 – Bjorn Thomson (Texas Tech) vs. Damon Niquet (W&M) – DNF, 6-2, 6-5
Finishing Order: 2, 3, 5, 1*
 
Doubles
No. 1 – #6 Dojas/Soares (Texas Tech) def. Appleby/Newman (W&M) – 6-3
No. 2 – Huang/Cargill (W&M) def. #53 Thomson/Sendegeya (Texas Tech) – 6-4
No. 3 – de Boer/Niquet (W&M) def. Curry/Cailleau (Texas Tech) – 6-2
Finishing Order: 1, 3, 2*
 
#40 Rice 4, #74 William & Mary 1
Singles
No. 1 – Christian Cargill (W&M) vs. Tommy Bennett (Rice) – DNF, 7-6 (5), 1-6, 2-1
No. 2 – Adam Gustafsson (Rice) def. Addison Appleby (W&M) – 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 – Alec Miller (W&M) vs. Jake Hansen (Rice) – DNF, 7-5, 5-1
No. 4 – David Warren (Rice) def. Lars de Boer (W&M) – 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 – Emanuel Llamas (Rice) def. Aidan Talcott (W&M) – 7-6 (5), 6-4
No. 6 – Damon Niquet (W&M) def. Zach Yablon (Rice) – 6-3, 6-0
Finishing Order: 2, 6, 4, 5*
 
Doubles
No. 1 – Warren/Bennett (Rice) def. Appleby/Newman (W&M) – 6-2
No. 2 – Cargill/Huang (W&M) def. Gustafsson/Malik (Rice) – 7-5
No. 3 – Llamas/Hansen (Rice) def. Niquet/de Boer (W&M) – 7-5
Finishing Order: 1, 2, 3*