The Hobart and William Smith Colleges tennis teams begin the dual match portion of their schedules with matches against Division I opponents this weekend, Feb. 26-27.  The Statesmen will travel to Hamilton, New York, to take on Colgate Saturday at 2 p.m. Hobart and William Smith will host Niagara on Sunday. The Statesmen are slated to play at 11 a.m. while the Herons will start at 2 p.m.
 
Hobart returns to action for the first time since the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast Regional Championships. Harry Lyu led the Statesmen at the tournament, advancing to the third round of the singles draw and the second round of the doubles draw.
 
The Statesmen were 26-15 in singles play and 16-7 in doubles matches during the fall season. Thomas Shung was a team best 5-1 in singles play. Lyu and Troy Steiner leading the way with a 5-1 record as a doubles duo.  
 
The Herons were 15-18 in singles play and 6-6 in doubles matches during the fall tournaments. Maggie Bonomo was a team-best 5-3 overall in singles play and went 2-2 with Audrey Camacho in doubles matches.
 
The Raiders are currently 2-3 overall and are coming off a gritty 4-3 win over the Purple Eagles. Ben Graham played a crucial role in the Colgate win when he clinched the overall victory at No. 6 singles.
 
Fans at Colgate are strongly recommended to wear a mask at indoor events. All spectators ages 5 and older will be required to present proof of full vaccination or a negative test for entry to indoor athletics events. Madison County has declared that full vaccination includes proof of a booster shot for those 12 years of age and older. Those who do not have proof of full vaccination must present a positive COVID-19 test, dated between 14 and 90 days prior to the start of the event, a negative PCR test, taken no earlier than 72 hours prior to the start of the event, or a negative antigen test (a verified or time-stamped photo of an at home test will now be accepted), taken no earlier than 24 hours prior to the start of the event. 
 
The Niagara men are 5-2 overall on the season. Trevor Masi and Tanner Bedard are both 6-0 in singles play. The Purple Eagles women are currently 0-7, led by Erika Gonzalez whose record is 3-4 overall.
 
Hobart and William Smith have never played Colgate and Niagara.