CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Sophomore Sebastian Quiros highlighted the William & Mary men's tennis team's effort in the dual-match opener at No. 17-ranked Virginia with the nationally-ranked singles victory on Thursday at the Boar's Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers topped the Tribe, 6-1, but Quiros picked up the program's highest-ranked win since 2014 and the best dual-match ranked victory almost nine years to the day.
 
Quiros needed three sets, but outlasted No. 38-ranked Gianni Ross at the No. 3 spot. The Tribe sophomore took the opening set from Ross, 6-3, before the Cavaliers sophomore responded with a 6-0 win in the second. Quiros rallied in the third, taking out the 2018 ITA Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year with a 6-2 win. It was Quiros fifth-straight victory and his team-leading 10th singles win of the year.
 
Quiros' triumph was the Tribe's highest-ranked win since Christian Cargill downed No. 29 Leo Stakhovsky of Penn State at the Tribe Invitational during the fall of 2014. It was the highest ranked dual-match win for a Tribe player since Keziel Juneau topped No. 18-ranked Casey Watt on Jan. 22, 2010 during W&M's dual-match with Notre Dame.  
 
Freshman Daniel Pellerito took a returning All-ACC performer to three sets at the No. 5 singles post in his first career dual-match. After Virginia's Aswin Lizen, who was an All-ACC Second Team selection last season, took the first set, 6-4, the Tribe rookie responded with a 6-4 win in the second. The Cavaliers senior, who was also ranked No. 23 in singles during the fall, took the match with a  6-2 win in the final set.
 
Virginia jumped out to an early 1-0 lead sweeping doubles. The Cavaliers added straight-set wins at No. 1, No. 2, No. 4 and No. 6 singles to clinch the dual-match victory. UVa's singles lineup featured a trio of returning All-ACC performers, two players currently in the national rankings and a freshman who is the No. 5 ranked junior in the world.
 
The Tribe heads to Blacksburg, Va., to take part in the Virginia Invitational, beginning on Saturday, Jan. 19. The event runs through Monday, Jan. 21, at the Burrows-Burelson Tennis Center, and W&M will face one opponent each day at 2 p.m. The Green and Gold opens play against Middle Tennessee on Saturday, before meeting Penn State on Sunday and the host Hokies on Monday.
 
#17 Virginia 6, William & Mary 1
Singles
No. 1 – Carl Soderlund (Virginia) def. Brenden Volk (W&M) – 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 – Brandon Nakashima (Virginia) def. Finbar Talcott (W&M) – 6-0, 6-3
No. 3 – Sebastian Quiros (W&M) def. #38 Gianni Ross (Virginia) – 6-3, 0-6, 6-2
No. 4 – Henrick Wiersholm (Virginia) def. Chen Ruo (W&M) – 6-4, 6-1
No. 5 – Aswin Lizen (Virginia) def. Daniel Pellerito (W&M) – 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
No. 6 – #54 Ryan Goetz (Virginia) def. Jack Kelly (W&M) – 7-6, 6-2
Finishing Order: 1, 2, 4*, 6, 3, 5
 
Doubles
No. 1 – Lizen/Ross (Virginia) def. Vasser/Volk (W&M) – 6-3
No. 2 – Soderlund/Woodall (Virginia) def. Bautil/Talcott (W&M) – 6-3
No. 3 – Nakashima/Wiersholm (Virginia) def. Ruo/Pellerito (W&M) – 6-2
Finishing Order: 3, 1*, 2