Men's Tennis Tops SIU 4-3

Sunday, April 3

LOUISVILLE, KY.

7 PM

University of Louisville

Southern Illinois

April 03, 2016 | Men's Tennis

Gornet clinches the victory at No. 2 singles

LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Senior Alex Gornet's victory at No. 2 singles lifted the University of Louisville men's tennis team to a 4-3 win over Southern Illinois on Sunday evening at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.

The Cardinals (12-13) took the doubles point to start the match with wins at Nos. 1 and 3. The Salukis gained an early edge when Wilder Pimente and Alex Pozo picked up a 6-0 win over freshmen Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff and George Hedley at No. 2. Louisville responded on court one where seniors Alex Gornet and Jeffrey Brown defeated Jonny Rigby and Piotr Baranski 6-3. Junior Sean Donohue and sophomore Courtney Lock clinched the first point of the match at the three-spot where they outlasted Peter Molloy and Daniel Martinez 7-5.

In singles, Lancaster added to the lead with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Molly at No. 4. The Salukis responded on court three where Pimentel topped Hedley 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 to make the score 2-1. Louisville extended its lead again when freshman Christian Haushammer edged Daniel Martinez 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 at No. 6. SIU came back to tie the match with wins on courts one and five. Rigby prevailed over Morin-Kougoucheff 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) at the top spot while Pozo defeated Donohue in three sets 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(7-3).

The match came down to court two where Gornet fell 6-3 to Baranski in the first set, but rallied to take the second set 7-6(7-1) before winning the third 6-2 to clinch the win for the Cards.

"To beat a team that is 11-2 is an accomplishment," said UofL head coach Rex Ecarma. "SIU is off to its best start in 46 years. It is always a challenge mentally and physically to play two good teams in one day, but a player can only get more experience by competing often. That is a big part of development. We started off with another clutch doubles performance, this time by Sean and Courtney at #3 doubles to clinch it. Once the match was tied, the crowd moved to Alex's court to witness one of the better sets of tennis that he has played all season. He played with passion and poise while running the scouting report to perfection to clinch our win."

Louisville returns to action this weekend when the Cards travel to Florida for a pair of ACC matches against Florida State and Miami.

Louisville 4, Southern Illinois 3
April 3, 2016 at Louisville, Ky.
(Bass-Rudd Tennis Center)
Singles
1. Jonny Rigby (SIU) def. Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff (LOU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
2. Alex Gornet (LOU) def. Piotr Baranski (SIU) 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2
3. Wilder Pimentel (SIU) def. George Hedley (LOU) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3
4. Brandon Lancaster (LOU) def. Peter Molloy (SIU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Alex Pozo (SIU) def. Sean Donohue (LOU) 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Christian Haushammer (LOU) def. Daniel Martinez (SIU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4
Order of finish: 4,3,6,1,5,2
Doubles
1. Alex Gornet/Jeffrey Brown (LOU) def. Jonny Rigby/Piotr Baranski (SIU) 6-3
2. Wilder Pimentel/Alex Pozo (SIU) def. George Hedley/Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff (LOU) 6-0
3. Sean Donohue/Courtney Lock (LOU) def. Peter Molloy/Daniel Martinez (SIU) 7-5
Order of finish: 2,1,3
Match Notes:
Southern Illinois 9-2
Louisville Men's Tennis 11-13
T-3:22 A-84