The Hobart and William Smith tennis teams will open up their spring seasons this Saturday, March 1, as they welcome SUNY Oneonta to Bristol Field House for nonconference matches. The Statesmen will take the court first as they battle the Red Dragons at 11 a.m., while the Herons follow at 2 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE STATESMEN:

• Hobart enters the season ranked No. 33 in the ITA national poll after strong performances in the fall.
• Junior Nick Fischer leads the Statesmen in singles play with a 2-2 record this fall after advancing to the round of 16 at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships.
• Junior Tarang Malhotra went 2-1 in singles play in the fall after advancing to the D flight semifinals at the SLU fall classic.
• Senior captains Troy Steiner and Nick Grosso will look to step up and lead Hobart after graduating crucial leader's last spring.
• In doubles play, Steiner and senior Jacob Linares lead the Statesmen with a 4-2 record. The duo advanced to the A flight doubles championship match at the SLU Fall Classic where they were edged by RIT's Alec Turcotte and Yu Tanimoto in a tiebreaker.
• Fischer and Grosso will play a crucial role in doubles play for Hobart this spring. The duo went 3-2 in the fall and advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA Northeast Championships after defeating teams from NYU and St. Lawrence.

ABOUT THE RED DRAGONS (MEN):

• Oneonta enters the weekend with a 4-2 overall record and is coming off a 7-0 loss to Skidmore last Saturday.
• Ryan Geller and Peter Pitaleff lead the Red Dragons in singles play with 4-2 overall records. Geller is 3-0 in the No. 4 spot, while Pitaleff is 3-0 in the No. 5 spot.
• Chris Chippari is 3-2 on the season and is 3-0 in the No. 1 spot.
• Chippari and William Schmid lead Oneonta in doubles play and have a 4-2 overall record in the No. 1 spot.
• Pitaleff and Jaden Ritterman are 3-2 in the No. 2 doubles position.
• Hobart holds an 8-6 edge in the series against Oneonta, including a 7-1 advantage in Geneva. The Statesmen are on an eight-match win streak against the Red Dragons with the last meeting occurring on Feb. 23, 2019.

ABOUT THE HERONS:

• William Smith opens its spring season this Saturday after competing in the annual Mary Hosking Invitational and the ITA Northeast Regional Championships in the fall.
• Junior Haley Levine and senior Mia Tetrault lead the Herons in singles play with 2-2 overall records. Levine advanced to the round of 32 at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships before falling to Skidmore's Beilynn Geiss. Tetrault got her two wins this season in the D flight consolation bracket at the Mary Hosking Invitational before eventually falling to Union's Kennedy Alexis in the championship match.
• Tetrault and sophomore Teghan Torrey went 1-1 in doubles play in the fall after defeating St. Lawrence's Kate Butler and Mia McNamara in the opening round of the Mary Hosking Invitational.
• Senior captains Natalie Haythorn and Julia Pida will look to use their experience to lead a young Heron squad this spring. First-year's Bethany Walker and Mia Jacobs, along with sophomore's Grace Magna and Mae Kellersman will look to make immediate impacts for William Smith this season.
• Junior Marin Montagne joins the team after spending the fall with the William Smith volleyball team. She will look to improve on her impressive sophomore campaign that saw her go 9-6 in singles play and 9-1 in doubles play with junior Maddy Buck.

ABOUT THE RED DRAGONS (WOMEN):

• Oneonta enters the weekend with a 4-7 overall record and is coming off a 7-0 loss to St. Lawrence on Feb. 15.
• Danielle Copp leads the Red Dragons in singles play with a 5-4 record in the No. 2 spot.
• Haley Peck is 5-5 in the No. 1 singles position for Oneonta.
• In doubles play, Peck and Copp lead the Red Dragons with a 5-4 record in the No. 1 spot.
• Kelly Hayes and Taylor Plue have compiled a 4-4 record in the No. 2 doubles position.
• William Smith has won all 15 previous meetings with Oneonta including an 8-1 win over the Red Dragons last season. The Herons are 12-0 in Geneva against Oneonta.