ITHACA, N.Y. – The Liberty League men's and women's tennis championships return to the Reis Tennis Center at Cornell University for the first time since 2019 as six men's teams and six women's teams will compete for Liberty League championships this Friday-Sunday, May 6-8. The top two teams for both men and women earn first-round byes. Two first-round matches will be held on Friday, May 6, two semifinals on May 7 and the championship match on May 8 for each gender. The championship teams receive the Liberty League's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships.
Live scoring updates will be provided throughout the tournament. Click on the links below to access live scoring for each match.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (times may be adjusted throughout the tournament):
FRIDAY, MAY 6 (First Round):
8:30 a.m. (MEN): #4 Vassar
5, #5 St. Lawrence
1 (
LIVE SCORING)
11:45 a.m. (MEN): #3 Hobart
5, #6 Union
0 (
LIVE SCORING)
2:30 p.m. (WOMEN): #4 Ithaca
5, #5 St. Lawrence
3 (
LIVE SCORING)
6:30 p.m. (WOMEN): #3 RPI
5, #6 Union
0 (
LIVE SCORING)
SATURDAY, MAY 7 (Semifinals):
8:30 a.m. (MEN): #1 RPI
5, #4 Vassar
0 (
LIVE SCORING)
11:55 a.m. (MEN): #2 Skidmore
5, #3 Hobart
3 (
LIVE SCORING)
3:45 p.m. (WOMEN): #1 Vassar
5, #4 Ithaca
1 (
LIVE SCORING)
6 p.m. (WOMEN): #2 Skidmore
5, #3 RPI
2 (
LIVE SCORING)
SUNDAY, MAY 8 (Championships):
10 a.m. (MEN): #1 RPI
5, #2 Skidmore
3 (
LIVE SCORING)
2:45 p.m. (WOMEN): #2 Skidmore
5, #1 Vassar
3 (
LIVE SCORING)
ABOUT THE MEN'S TEAMS...
#1 RPI (13-2 overall, 8-0 Liberty League)
- RPI is the Liberty League's top-ranked team. The Engineers are currently ranked first in the latest NCAA Region II ranking and seventh in the ITA Northeast ranking. RPI enters the Liberty League tournament having won 11 straight matches following back-to-back 5-4 losses to regionally ranked squads Babson and Carnegie Mellon.
- First-year player Aiden Drover-Mattinen is currently the top-ranked player in both the NCAA Region II and the ITA Northeast rankings. Drover-Mattinen, who is 13-0 in dual-match play, has lost only one match to a Division III opponent this year – to teammate Abraham Yohannes in the quarterfinals of the ITA Northeast Championship.
- Fellow first-year player Emilio Van Cotthem is 10-1 at second singles, giving the Engineers a formidable duo at the top of the singles lineup.
- The top RPI doubles team of Drover-Mattinen and senior Peter Lohrbach are 12-2 at first doubles and are ranked first in NCAA Region II and seventh in the ITA Northeast region.
#2 SKIDMORE (7-10 overall, 6-2 Liberty League)
- Skidmore enters the tournament with a 7-10 overall record, but the Thoroughbreds have six losses to teams ranked in the ITA top 35. Skidmore, which is ranked third in NCAA Region II and 14th in the ITA Northeast rankings, also owns a 7-2 win over No. 31 Bates.
- Since the league moved to its current six-team format in 2015, Skidmore and RPI have met in the championship match in five of the six years. Skidmore is 5-1 against RPI in championship matches. Overall, Skidmore has won 15 Liberty League/UCAA titles since the league began competition in 1995-96.
- RPI defeated Skidmore 5-4 on April 9 as the Engineers won two of three doubles matches (by 8-6 scores at first and third doubles) and the teams split the six singles matches. The second and fifth singles matches both went three sets with RPI (Van Cotthem) winning at second singles and Skidmore (Tristan Thiebaut) winning at fifth singles.
- Skidmore first-year player John Rado won the ITA Northeast Region singles title in the fall.
#3 HOBART (15-6 overall, 6-2 Liberty League)
- The Statesmen currently rank 12th in the ITA Northeast Region and fourth in NCAA Region II. Hobart has won 11 of its last 13 matches with the only two losses coming against RPI (8-1 on April 2) and Skidmore (6-3 on April 24).
- Sophomore Winter Fagerberg made the jump from third and fourth singles as a rookie to first singles this season where he is currently 9-7 in dual matches and 3-2 in league play.
- The Hobart first doubles pairing of sophomore Sean Pesin and junior Jett Wright, which is currently ranked fourth in the NCAA Region II rankings, is 10-5 overall and 6-2 in Liberty League play.
#4 VASSAR (9-8 overall, 5-3 Liberty League)
- Vassar is currently ranked fifth in NCAA Region II and 17th in the ITA Northeast rankings.
- Sophomore Jay Wong, ranked eighth in the NCAA Region II singles rankings, is 9-4 at first singles and 5-3 in Liberty League matches. Senior Mihajlo Ivanovic is a team-leading 14-2 in dual-match play, including 11-2 at fifth singles.
- The second doubles pairing of Wong and Benjamin Almquist has a team-best 12-5 dual-match record.
#5 ST. LAWRENCE (9-8 overall, 4-4 Liberty League)
- St. Lawrence has been strong in doubles play, having compiled a 15-9 record in Liberty League doubles matches. The team of sophomore Ben Mooman and junior Nathan Turtledove has forged a 7-6 mark at first doubles, including a 4-3 record in Liberty League play.
- Senior Nico Haet has had a strong season, going a team-best 9-5 in dual-match play (8-5 at third singles) and 9-3 at third doubles while teaming with first-year John Hill-Edgar.
- Against first-round opponent Vassar, the Saints played three competitive doubles matches, losing 8-6 at both first and second doubles while winning 8-4 in the third position. Vassar also won three three-set singles matches.
#6 UNION (5-10 overall, 3-5 Liberty League)
- Union is making its second appearance in the Liberty League tournament since it shifted to a six-team format in 2015. The Dutchmen dropped a 5-1 decision to Hobart in their previous tournament appearance in 2019.
- Union has gotten good production from the sixth singles position as six different players have combined to go 13-2 in that spot. Senior Cameron Klepper leads the Dutchmen with a 9-4 dual-match singles record, including a 6-0 mark at sixth singles.
- Klepper and sophomore Bailey McAtee lead Union with six wins in doubles play with five of the wins coming at third doubles.
ABOUT THE WOMEN'S TEAMS...
#1 VASSAR (15-2 overall, 8-0 Liberty League)
- Vassar earned the top seed in the Liberty League tournament for the first time since the format switched to a six-team championship in 2015. The Brewers are currently ranked first in the NCAA Region II rankings and eighth in the ITA Northeast rankings – the Liberty League's top-ranked team in both polls. The team's only losses this season have come against Division I Army and a Caltech team ranked seventh in the ITA West region.
- 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's third through sixth singles players have combined for a 55-12 record (.821). Seniors Cara Kizilbash and Melina Stavropoulos alond with first-year Elyse Duley all have 14 dual-match singles victories.
- The first doubles team of Stavropoulos and sophomore Sophie Shen have combined for a 13-4 record while earning a No. 2 ranking in the most recent NCAA Region II rankings.
#2 SKIDMORE (10-5 overall, 7-1 Liberty League)
- Skidmore is currently ranked second in the NCAA Region II rankings and ninth in the ITA Northeast rankings – one spot behind Vassar in both polls.
- Skidmore has won a Liberty League-leading 16 women's tennis championships, including the last ten straight. Since the shift to a six-team tournament in 2015, Skidmore and Vassar have met in the championship match five times with the Thoroughbreds prevailing in all five matches.
- Skidmore and Vassar met on April 16 in Poughkeepsie with the Brewers earning a narrow 5-4 victory. Skidmore won two of three doubles matches, but Vassar won four of the six singles matches, including a pair of three-set matches.
- Three first-year players – Konika Dhull, Grace Truong and Ella Provost – lead the Thoroughbreds in dual-match singles wins with 10, 13 and 11 respectively.
- The second doubles pairing of Provost and Truong is unbeaten on the season at 9-0, including 6-0 in Liberty League play.
#3 RPI (12-7 overall, 6-2 Liberty League)
- The Engineers earned their highest seed in the league tournament after finishing in third place during the regular season. RPI's only two league losses were a narrow 5-4 loss to Vassar on April 9 and a 6-3 loss to Skidmore from the fall.
- As a team, RPI is currently ranked fourth in NCAA Region II while junior Alex Mednikova is the league's highest ranked singles player at second in Region II. Mednikova has compiled a 19-6 singles record, including a 13-5 mark at first singles. In the fall, she advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA Northeast Championship before falling to eventual champion Dakota Fordham of NYU.
- The Engineers are 19-5 in Liberty League doubles play, led by Mednikova and fellow junior Rani Jones who are 11-4 at first doubles and unbeaten in league play (7-0). Mednikova and Jones are currently the top-ranked doubles team in NCAA Region II.
#4 ITHACA (12-6 overall, 5-3 Liberty League)
- Ithaca has received a strong contribution from first-year player Taylor Crain who has gone 13-4 at first singles, including 6-1 in Liberty League play. Crain is the only player to beat RPI's Alex Mednikova in league play, earning a 7-5, 5-7, 1-0 (11-9) victory on April 23 in Troy. Crain's only league loss came against Vassar's Tatum Blalock, 7-6, 6-3, on April 2.
- In doubles play, Crain and fellow first-year player Lauren Rodriguez have compiled a 9-5 record at first doubles.
- Junior Zoe Davis and first-year Kayla Shenk each have 11 dual-match singles wins. Davis has played the majority of her matches at fourth singles where she has gone 8-4.
#5 ST. LAWRENCE (8-7 overall, 4-4 Liberty League)
- St. Lawrence has forged a 25-23 record in Liberty League singles play, but 10-14 in league doubles matches.
- Junior Catherine Gamble has been the team's top singles player with an 9-2 dual-match record, including 8-2 at second singles. The doubles team of Gamble and fellow junior Caitlyn Avery has recorded a 6-3 mark at second doubles.
- Against first-round opponent Ithaca last week, the Saints dropped a 7-2 decision, picking up victories at first doubles (Macey and Styliades) and fourth singles Styliades.
#6 UNION (5-7 overall, 3-5 Liberty League)
- Union is making its first appearance in the Liberty League tournament since the format moved to a six-team championship in 2015.
- First-year player Gabby Gatto currently leads the Dutchwomen with nine singles wins, including a 7-5 dual-match record. Gatto has played in the top three positions, compiling a 5-4 record at third singles.
- Union's top doubles team is the first-doubles pairing of junior Marilena Karadimou and sophomore Gracie Nicol, who have a 5-5 dual-match record, including 3-3 in Liberty League play.