ITHACA, N.Y. – For the fifth consecutive year, the Reis Tennis Center at Cornell University will serve as the host site of the Liberty League Women’s and Men’s Tennis Championships. Six women’s teams and six men’s teams will compete for Liberty League championships this Friday-Sunday, May 3-5. The top two teams for both women and men earn first-round byes. Two first-round matches will be held on Friday, May 3, two semifinals on May 4 and the championship match on May 5 for each gender. The championship teams receive the Liberty League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, MAY 3 (First Round):
8:45 a.m. (WOMEN): #4 RIT
5, #5 St. Lawrence
3 (
RESULTS)
12:35 p.m. (WOMEN): #3 William Smith
5, #6 Ithaca
0 (
RESULTS)
3:30 p.m. (MEN): #4 Ithaca
5, #5 Vassar
3 (
RESULTS)
7:250 p.m. (MEN): #3 Hobart
5, #6 Union
1 (
RESULTS)
SATURDAY, MAY 4 (Semifinals):
8:45 a.m. (WOMEN): #1 Skidmore
5, #4 RIT
0 (
RESULTS)
11:30 a.m. (WOMEN): #2 Vassar
6, #3 William Smith
0 (
RESULTS)
2:15 p.m. (MEN): #1 Skidmore
5, #4 Ithaca
1 (
RESULTS)
5:15 p.m. (MEN): #2 RPI
5, #3 Hobart
0 (
RESULTS)
SATURDAY, MAY 5 (Championships):
10 a.m. (WOMEN): #1 Skidmore
5, #2 Vassar
1 (
RESULTS)
2 p.m. (MEN): #1 Skidmore
5, #2 RPI
0 (
RESULTS)
ABOUT THE WOMEN’S TEAMS...
#1 SKIDMORE (11-6 overall, 8-0 Liberty League)
- Skidmore has won eight straight Liberty League women’s tennis titles, a streak that began in 2011. The Thoroughbreds ended a run of eight straight titles by Vassar.
- Skidmore is currently ranked 16th nationally and eighth in the Northeast region in the latest ITA Division III poll.
- Sophomore Risa Fukushige is ranked fifth in the region in singles and second in doubles while teaming with junior Renee Karchere-Sun. Fukushige, last year’s Liberty League Player and Rookie of the Year, has never lost a league match in her two seasons.
#2 VASSAR (13-6 overall, 7-1 Liberty League)
- The Brewers won eight straight Liberty League titles from 2003-2010. Vassar and Skidmore are the only current members to win the league title. The University of Rochester, which competed in the league in the early years, captured the championship in 2002.
- Vassar is currently ranked 15th in the Northeast region in the ITA Division III poll.
- Sophomore Frances Cornwall is ranked 18th in the region in singles play with a 19-5 singles record, including 14-3 in dual matches at first singles.
#3 WILLIAM SMITH (13-6, 6-2 Liberty League)
- William Smith is ranked 19th in the latest Northeast region ITA Division III poll.
- After starting league play at 1-5, the Herons have won five straight Liberty League matches, including 5-4 victories over both RPI and St. Lawrence.
- William Smith has excelled in doubles play this season. The team of Kate Foley and Allie Perron has compiled a 14-4 record at second doubles while the team consisting of Charlotte Engebrecht/Katelyn Nguyen has gone 13-5 at third doubles.
#4 RIT (12-5, 5-3 Liberty League)
- The Tigers are making their second consecutive appearance in the Liberty League tournament after qualifying for the first time last year. RIT recorded a 5-4 victory over St. Lawrence, its first-round opponent, on April 20.
- RIT has had the same singles players in the top three positions in every dual match this season. Amelia Ying (9-8 at first singles), Anne Taylor (10-7 at second singles) and Shayna Ginster (10-7 at third singles) have been at the top of the lineup in every match.
- The Tigers have winning records in all six singles positions. Kristen Zablonski (12-4 at fourth singles), Claire Casalnova (13-3 at fifth singles) and Kirsten Auble (14-2 at sixth singles) have combined for 39 dual-match singles victories.
#5 ST. LAWRENCE (9-7, 4-4 Liberty League)
- Of St. Lawrence’s seven losses this season, four have been by 5-4 scores, including Liberty League losses to RIT and William Smith.
- Sophomore Caroline Reilly, who played primarily fourth singles in her first season, made the jump to first singles this year and has excelled. Reilly is 16-7 in singles matches, including 11-4 in dual match play at the top position.
- First-year player Christina Ryan has been a strong addition to the Saints’ lineup, having compiled a 12-4 dual-match singles record, including 9-3 at third singles.
#6 ITHACA (3-13, 3-5 Liberty League)
- Ithaca, in its second year as a Liberty League member, is making its first appearance in the women’s tennis championship.
- The Bombers started the season slowly, but have won three of their past seven matches, including league wins over Bard, Union and RPI that clinched a berth in the league tournament.
- Junior Brianna Ruback leads Ithaca with seven dual-match singles wins, including a 4-4 record in Liberty League matches at first singles.
ABOUT THE MEN’S TEAMS...
#1 SKIDMORE (13-5 overall, 8-0 Liberty League)
- Skidmore has won a total of 13 Liberty League men’s tennis titles, including 10 in the last 14 years. The Thoroughbreds had a streak of four straight titles snapped last year by RPI.
- Skidmore is ranked 17th nationally and seventh in the Northeast region in the latest ITA Division III poll.
- Junior JT Wynne is currently ranked fourth in the region in singles play and sixth in doubles while teaming with freshman Noah Williamson. Wynne is 12-4 in dual-match play at first singles, including 7-0 in Liberty League matches.
#2 RPI (9-6 overall, 7-1 Liberty League)
- The Engineers are the defending Liberty League champions, having captured their first league title last year in a 5-2 win over Skidmore. In last year’s championship match, The Engineers swept the three doubles matches to take a commanding league.
- RPI currently ranks 34th nationally and 12th in the Northeast region in the ITA Division III poll.
- Junior Sebastian Castillo-Sanchez, who has anchored the RPI lineup at first singles for three years, is currently 13-9 in singles play, including 7-1 in Liberty League matches. Castillo-Sanchez had the clinching victory in last year’s win over Skidmore.
#3 HOBART (12-6, 6-2 Liberty League)
- The Statesmen currently rank 35 nationally and 13th in the Northeast region latest ITA Division III poll.
- Junior Alan Dubrovsky, currently ranked 10th regionally, has set a Hobart single-season record with 24 singles victories (24-7). Dubrovsky is 13-5 at first singles and had combined with sophomore Walker Anderson for a 13-5 record at first doubles.
- Senior Jonathan Atwater is 14-3 in dual-match play at second singles and is unbeaten in Liberty League play this spring at 7-0.
#4 ITHACA (5-12, 4-4 Liberty League)
- Ithaca is making its second straight Liberty League tournament appearance. The Bombers earned the fourth seed by virtue of a 7-2 win over Vassar, the team’s first-round opponent, on March 30 at home.
- Junior Minos Stavrakas has been Ithaca’s top singles player since his freshman season. Stavrakas has a 14-10 singles record, including a 5-3 record at first singles in Liberty League play.
- Stavrakas and senior Sam McGrath are the only two Bombers to play in all 17 dual matches. McGrath is currently 9-8 at second singles.
#5 VASSAR (8-9, 4-4 Liberty League)
- Vassar has won three Liberty League titles (2007, 2010, 2013), second-most in league history.
- Vassar has a combined 33 dual-match singles victories in the fourth, fifth and sixth singles positions. Junior Allen Sokolov has a 12-4 dual-match singles record while competing at fifth and sixth singles. He is 6-1 in Liberty League matches.
- The first doubles team of Sokolov and fellow junior Jeremy Auh leads the Brewers with a 7-7 dual-match record.
#6 UNION (6-8, 3-5 Liberty League)
- Union is making its first Liberty League tournament appearance since the league shifted to a qualifying format in 2015.
- The Dutchmen clinched the tournament berth with a 6-3 win over St. Lawrence on April 26, taking two of three doubles matches and four of six singles matches.
- The Union lineup has been bolstered by the addition of first-year players Ioannis Binopoulos and Cameron Klepper. Binopoulos and Klepper occupy the top two spots in the singles lineup, giving Union a strong foundation for the future. Sixth-singles player Zach Kaplan is the team’s lone senior.