NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Senior Sean Joseph claimed a three-set win at No. 3 singles to clinch William & Mary's 4-2 win over Northern Illinois in the second of two matches during the Tribe's Midwest road swing on Sunday at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
 
After capturing the doubles point, the Tribe received straight-set singles wins from senior Alexander Karman and freshman Raz Katz, before Joseph provided the clincher. Northern Illinois (3-4) went 18-6 last season and finished second in the Mid-American Conference at 7-3.
 
How It Happened
- W&M (2-1) took home the doubles point for the first time this season, jumping out to a 1-0 lead.
- The Tribe and Huskies split the top two doubles spots by matching 6-3 scores. Sophomore Oliver Hague and freshman Gur Trakhtenberg ran their win streak to three in a row, topping Federico Scotuzzi and Iker Gaztambide Arrastia at the top spot.
- The initial point of the match came down to a tiebreaker at No. 3. Joseph and Karman outlasted Iker Dellien Velasco and Chiao Bo Suo Nan, 7-6 (7), to clinch the point. Playing together for the first time this season, the senior duo won its sixth match over the last three years.
- The Tribe seized control in singles, winning the first set at four of six spots.
- Karman carried momentum over to singles, winning at the No. 5 position. He upended Angus Howard, 6-3, 6-2, for his seventh victory of the season. Karman improved to 2-0 at No. 5 this season.
- Like Karman, Katz won his seventh match of the season and improved to 2-0 at No. 6 with a straight-sets win. The Tribe rookie downed Sam Klein, 7-6 (4), 6-3, to bring the Tribe within a win of the team triumph.
- After Northern Illinois captured wins at No. 1 and No. 4, the balance of the match came down three-set contests at No. 2 and No. 3.
- On line three, Joseph jumped out to a set advantage with a 6-2 win over Iker Dellien Velasco in the first. The NIU junior answered by taking the second set, but the Tribe senior did not faulter in the winner-take-all final set, pulling out a 6-2 victory. It was Joseph's eighth win of the season and his first in dual-match play this season.
 
Up Next
The Tribe returns home this week for its first CAA match of the season when it welcomes Hampton to the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 5 p.m.
 
William & Mary 4, Northern Illinois 2
Singles 
No. 1 – Iker Gaztambide Arrastia (NIU) def. Oliver Hague (W&M) – 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 – Gur Trakhtenberg (W&M) vs. Saul Berdullas (NIU) – DNF, 6-2, 3-6, 5-6
No. 3 – Sean Joseph (W&M) def. Iker Dellien Velasco (NIU) – 6-2, 0-6, 6-2
No. 4 – Federico Scotuzzi (NIU) def. Nikita Bortnichek (W&M) – 6-3, 6-3
No. 5 – Alexander Karman (W&M) def. Angus Howard (NIU) – 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 – Raz Katz (W&M) def. Sam Klein (NIU) – 7-6 (4), 6-3
Finishing Order: 5, 4, 1, 6, 3*

Doubles 
No. 1 - Hague/Trakhtenberg (W&M) def. Arrastia/Scotuzzi(NIU)  – 6-3
No. 2 - Klein/Berdullas (NIU) def. Katz/Bortnichek (W&M) – 6-3
No. 3 – Joseph/Karman (W&M) def. Dellien/Suo Nan (NIU) – 7-6 (7)
Finishing Order: 1, 2, 3*