UC Santa Barbara Edges Men's Tennis 4-3

Sunday, January 24

Athens, Ga.

TBD

University of Louisville

UC Santa Barbara

January 24, 2016 | Men's Tennis

Cards fall short in ITA Kick-Off Weekend consolation match

ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Louisville men's tennis team rallied from 3-1 deficit to tie the match, but fell short in a 4-3 loss to UC Santa Barbara Sunday in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend consolation match played at Georgia's Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Facility.

"We got down 1-3 and it did not look good, but we played with a lot of heart and clawed our way back to even it up," said UofL head coach Rex Ecarma. "We were so close to the finish line with a commanding 6-1 5-3 lead at No. 6 singles. But the UCSB player turned it up a gear and once he got the second set there was no looking back. This team will continue to get better. We have five new starters out of six spots so experience is a good thing for them."

The Cardinals (3-3) took the doubles point to start the match. Freshmen Christian Haushammer and Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff defeated Nicolas Moreno de Alboran 6-3 on court two. Seniors Alex Gornet and Jeffrey Brown secured the first point with a 6-4 decision over Nathan Eshmade and Miles Seemann at No. 1.

In singles action, the Gauchos (2-3) evened the score on court three where Moreno de Alboran bested Morin-Kougoucheff 6-4, 6-1. UC Santa Barbara gained another point when Oliver Sec beat Louisville freshman Brandon Lancaster 6-4, 6-2 at No. 4. Nathan Eshmade's 6-1, 6-3 win over the Cardinals' freshman Carlos Longhi Neto put the Gauchos up 3-1 and within a point of clinching the match.

Louisville answered at the No. 1 position where Gornet beat Morgan Mays 7-6(7-1), 6-3. Sophomore Courtney Lock evened the score with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Cody Rakela at the five-spot. The match was decided on court six where Haushammer defeated Anders Holm 6-1 in the first set. Holm prevailed 7-6 (7-4) in the second set and went on to win the third set 6-2 to give the Gauchos the win.

The Cardinals (3-3) return to action on February 3 when they travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to face Middle Tennessee.

#48 UC Santa Barbara 4, #37 Louisville 3
Jan 24, 2016 at Athens, Ga.
(Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Facility) Singles
Singles
1. #108 Alex Gornet (UL) def. Morgan Mays (UCSB) 7-6 (7-1), 6-3
2. Nathan Eshmade (UCSB) def. Carlos Longhi Neto (UL) 6-1, 6-3
3. #81 N. Moreno de Alboran (UCSB) def. C. Morin-Kougoucheff (UL) 6-4, 6-1
4. Oliver Sec (UCSB) def. Brandon Lancaster (UL) 6-4, 6-2
5. Courtney Lock (UL) def. Cody Rakela (UCSB) 6-2, 6-0
6. Anders Holm (UCSB) def. Christian Haushammer (UL) 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
Order of finish: 3,4,2,1,5,6
Doubles
1. #57 Alex Gornet/Jeffrey Brown (UL) def. Nathan Eshmade/Miles Seemann (UCSB) 6-4
2. Christian Haushammer/C. Morin-Kougoucheff (UL) def. N. Moreno de Alboran/Chase Masciorini (UCSB) 6-3
3. George Hedley/Courtney Lock (UL) vs. Anders Holm/Oliver Sec (UCSB) 3-5, unfinished
Order of finish: 2,1
Match Notes:
UC Santa Barbara 2-3; National ranking #48
Louisville 3-3; National ranking #37
ITA Kickoff Consolation match
Official: Clark Weaver T-3:42 A-68