LATHAM, N.Y.—The Hobart College tennis team was defeated by 27th-ranked Rensselaer, 8-1, in its Liberty League opener at Tri-City Fitness this afternoon. With the loss, the Statesmen are now 8-5 on the season with an 8-1 mark in Liberty League play.
 
Jett Wright and Sean Pesin grabbed Hobart's lone point in the No. 1 doubles spot. They defeated Adam Drober-Mattinen and Peter Lohrbach, 8-7 (7-1). The Engineers duo is the sixth-ranked team in the Northeast Region. Pesin and Wright are now 4-3 on the season. RPI (7-2, 2-0), however, took a 2-1 lead at the end of doubles play thanks to wins in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots.
 
The Engineers won five of the six singles matches in straight sets. Harry Lyu, put up a strong fight in the No. 3 spot, but was edged by Igor Visnevskij, 6-5 (7-3), 2-6, 10-7. In the No. 2 spot, Sean Pesin dropped a hard-fought battle to Emilio Van Cotthem, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3). Van Cotthem is the 17th-ranked player in the Northeast Region.
 
Hobart will be back in action on Wednesday, April 6, when it heads to Rochester. The non-conference contest is slated to begin at 4 p.m.