GAINESVILLE, Fla. - William & Mary's gauntlet start to the 2019 season continued on Sunday with its third-straight Power 5 opponent and second ACC foe in Louisville in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend consolation match. Sophomore Finbar Talcott picked up a nationally-ranked win at No. 2 singles, but the Cardinals (4-2) topped the Tribe (0-3), 4-1, at the Charles R. and Nancy V. Perry Indoor Facility.
 
How It Happened 
- Louisville picked up wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to claim the initial point. After a Cardinals win at the top spot, the doubles point came down to tight contests at the bottom two positions. With the third post locked in a 6-6 stalemate, Louisville clinched the point as Alex Wesbrooks and Brandon Lancaster outlasted the Tribe pair of Talcott and senior Tristan Bautil, 7-5, at No. 2. 
- Talcott continued his strong singles play and evened the match at one with a nationally-ranked win at the second singles spot. One day after taking the first set from the No. 37-ranked player in the country before his match was abandoned, the Tribe sophomore upended No. 104-ranked Brandon Lancaster in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1. It marked Talcott's first career nationally-ranked win and the second for a W&M singles player in the first three matches this season. He picked up his seventh win on the year and 25th of his career. 
- Louisville responded with straight-sets wins at the No. 3 and No. 4 to retake the lead. The Cardinals' Fabien Salle topped junior Sebastian Quiros, 6-3, 6-4, at the third spot before Sergio Hernandez Ramirez took UofL to the brink of the team victory with a 7-5, 6-2 triumph over freshman Oren Vasser at No. 4. 
- At the top singles spot, junior Brenden Volk was locked in a three-set battle with a two-time All-ACC player Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff. The Cardinals senior, who was ranked No. 36 nationally in the preseason, squeaked out the first set in a tiebreaker, before Volk battled back to take the second, 6-3. Morin-Kougoucheff clinched Louisville's win with a 6-1 victory in the third set.
 
Up Next
The Tribe opens the home portion of its schedule when it welcomes Ivy League foe Princeton to the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center on Saturday, Feb. 2. The match is slated for a 3 p.m. start time. Live video will be available for the contest via PlaySight at TribeAthletics.com/TennisLive, and live stats can be found on the men's tennis schedule page.
 
Louisville 4, William & Mary 1
Singles
No. 1 – Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff (LOU) def. Brenden Volk (W&M) – 7-6, 3-6, 6-1
No. 2 – Finbar Talcott (W&M) def. #104 Brandon Lancaster (LOU) – 7-5, 6-1
No. 3 – Fabien Salle (LOU) def. Sebastian Quiros (W&M) – 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 – Sergio Ramirez (LOU) def. Oren Vasser (W&M) – 7-5, 6-2
No. 5 – Federico Gomez (LOU) vs. Jack Kelly (W&M) – DNF
No. 6 – David Mizrahi (LOU) vs. Daniel Pellerito – DNF, 6-2 1-0
Finishing Order: 2, 3, 4, 1*
 
Doubles
No. 1 – Salle/Morin-Kougoucheff (LOU) def. Vasser/Volk (W&M) – 6-2
No. 2 – Lancaster/Wesbrooks (LOU) def. Bautil/Talcott (W&M) – 7-5
No. 3 – Ruo/Pellerito (W&M) vs. Gomez/Ramirez (LOU) – DNF, 6-6
Finishing Order: 1, 2*