POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.— The 37th-ranked Hobart tennis team put up a strong fight in its Liberty League opener this afternoon but fell 4-3 in a thrilling conference matchup with Vassar. With the loss, the Statesmen fall to 4-4 on the season and 0-1 in the Liberty League, while the Brewers move to 4-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play.

In doubles play, seniors Rahul Vallabhajosula and Hyat Oyer secured a 6-2 victory in the No. 2 spot over Joseph Braun and Miles Sondergaard Jensen. However, Vassar claimed the doubles point after winning the other two tightly contested matches.

In singles play, the Statesmen secured three victories falling just short of the team win. At the No. 2 spot, Oyer delivered a strong performance, defeating Eugene Lee 7-5, 6-3, for his fourth straight win in the No. 2 position.

At No. 3, senior Nick Grosso battled through a three-set match, defeating Arnav Agostinho 6-1, 5-7, 6-3. Grosso is now 5-3 in dual match singles play this season. Vallabhajosula added another win at No. 4, topping Joseph Braun 6-2, 6-4. 

The decisive match came down to first-year Marco Olmos at No. 6, who pushed Joaquin Gill to a third-set tiebreaker but ultimately fell in a thrilling and hard-fought contest, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-1)

UP NEXT: 

Hobart will head to Cleveland, Ohio, next Saturday, March 29, for a challenging doubleheader against No. 5 Case Western Reserve and No. 4 Denison. First serve against the Spartans is set for noon.