ITHACA, N.Y. — Junior Jake Hansen and senior Daniel Grunberger scratched out three-set victories in their respective matches in singles, punctuating the men's tennis team's 5-2 victory over William & Mary on Saturday afternoon at Reis Tennis Center.
 
William & Mary (9-7) started the day by winning the doubles point, but Cornell (7-6) – ranked 41st in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association – took over the match with victories in the top half of the singles lineup. Junior David Volfson and freshman Alafia Ayeni cruised from the top two spots, then sophomore Lev Kazakov outlasted his opponent at No. 3 in a lengthy second-set tiebreaker to give Cornell a commanding 3-1 lead.
 
The Big Red needed to to win just one of the remaining three singles matches, with all three going to a third and deciding set. The Tribe got its lone point at the No. 5 position, but Hansen clinched the match by rallying for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 6. Grunberger capped the day by winning at No. 4, giving Cornell a 9-8 advantage in the all-time series with W&M.
 
Cornell has one non-league match left before the start of Ivy League play, hosting 16th-ranked Oklahoma at 1 p.m. next Saturday.
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#41 CORNELL 5, WILLIAM & MARY 2
At Reis Tennis Center; Ithaca, N.Y.
Singles
1. David Volfson (C) def. Alec Miller, 6-2, 6-2
2. Alafia Ayeni (C) def. Christian Cargill, 6-4, 6-2
3. Lev Kazakov (C) def. Louis Newman, 6-3, 7-6(7)
4. Daniel Grunberger (C) def. Finbar Talcott, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
5. Sebastian Quiros (W&M) def. Pietro Rimondini, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
6. Jake Hansen (C) def. Brendan Volk, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
Doubles
1. Tristan Bautil/Miller (W&M) def. Hansen/Kazakov, 6-4
2. McAllister/Volfson (C) vs. Cargill/Newman, DNF
3. Michael Chen/Volk (W&M) def. Ayeni/Grunberger, 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1), Singles (1,2,3,5,6,4)
Records: Cornell 7-6, William & Mary 9-7