The No. 33 ranked Hobart tennis team will welcome No. 10 Denison to Bristol Field House Saturday, Feb. 17, to open its spring season. First serve between the Statesmen and the Big Red is set for 11 a.m.

This will be Hobart's first dual match following impressive showings in the fall in tournament play. The Statesmen won two flights in the SLU Classic including first-year Achilleas Kousaridis' win in the flight B singles field. Hobart was represented by five singles players and two doubles teams at the ITA Northeast Regionals in October and looks to build on its performances from the fall this spring.

Denison brings a 1-2 record to Geneva. The Big Red are coming off a 5-4 loss to then No. 10 University of Chicago. Denison is also ranked fourth in the Central Region and has three players ranked nationally in singles play and one nationally ranked doubles team.

ABOUT THE STATESMEN

• Hobart is ranked No. 33 in the ITA National Rankings, tied with Liberty League foe, Vassar.   
• Senior Sean Pesin is coming off a successful junior season. He finished 17-8 in singles play and was ranked No. 29 in the country. Last spring, the first team singles and doubles All-Liberty League pick was selected to play in the 2023 NCAA Division III Tennis Championships.
• This season, Pesin leads the team in singles (5-2) and doubles (4-2).
• Sophomore Nick Fischer returns after a successful first season with Hobart and is currently 4-2 in singles play.
• Kousaridis is 4-1 in singles action in his first year as a Statesman.

 
ABOUT THE BIG RED

• Kael Shah is the No. 17 singles player in the country. He is 13-2 overall, including 1-0 in the No. 1 spot.
• Ethan Green is ranked 19th in the nation in singles play and is 10-5 overall.
• Andy Mackler leads the team with a 12-1 record in singles action. He is 2-0 in the No. 6 spot.
• Shah and Green are ranked No. 8 in the ITA national rankings for doubles. The duo is 7-6 overall.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday's matchup will be the 10th meeting between the Statesmen and the Big Red.
• Denison holds an 8-1 advantage in the series, including a 1-0 edge in Geneva.
• Hobart and Denison last met on March 16, 2022. The Big Red swept the Statesmen 9-0 at the HWS Tennis Center. Pesin produced the closest match of the day, losing 6-4, 6-3 in the No. 2 spot against Jack Bulgar.