POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.-The Hobart College tennis team clinched a spot in the Liberty League Men's Tennis Tournament with a 5-4 win over Vassar this afternoon. The win improves the Statesmen to 9-7 overall and 4-2 in conference play and insures them at least the fourth seed in next weekend's conference tournament.
 
The Liberty League's four-team tournament field is now set and will be contested next weekend at the Reis Tennis Center at Cornell University. No. 20 Skidmore (7-0) will be the No. 1 seed while St. Lawrence (5-2) has locked up the No. 2 seed. Rensselaer and Hobart are currently tied for third with 4-2 records in conference play.
 
Hobart jumped out to a 2-1 lead in today's match thanks to wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. First-years Jonah Salita and Jonathan Atwater collected an 8-6 win over the Brewers' Daniel Cooper and Gray Thurstone. Atwater improve to 12-8 on the season, including a 5-1 mark against Liberty League opponents. Sophomore Harry Nichols and first-year Patrick Gray knocked off Juan Felipe Laso and Alexander Luckmann 8-5. Gray and Nichols are 9-1 in their last ten matches.
 
The Statesmen took advantage of their slight lead as the teams split the singles matches. At No. 3, junior captain Michael Rusk defeated Evan Udine 6-4, 6-3. Rusk is now 11-5 this spring in singles matches, including a 4-2 mark against the Liberty League. Fellow junior Danny Kot gave Hobart a 4-3 lead with a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 6. The win was his third of the season. Nichols, who is now 8-2 in his last 10 matches, clinched the overall match for the Statesmen at No. 4. He defeated Juan Felipe Laso 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
 
Hobart will conclude its regular season tomorrow, May 1, when it takes on the Engineers at noon in Troy, N.Y. The winner will clinch the No. 3 seed in the tournament and avoid facing the nationally rankedThoroughbreds in the semifinals.