LATHAM, N.Y.— The Hobart tennis team faced a challenging Liberty League contest this afternoon, falling 7-0 to No. 8 RPI at TriCity Fitness. With the loss, the Statesmen fall to 8-8 overall and 3-2 in conference play, while the Engineers improve to 13-3 overall and 5-0 in the Liberty League

The Engineers claimed the doubles point despite a strong fight by the Statesmen. In the No. 2 spot, seniors Rahul Vallabhajosula and Hyat Oyer battled hard against Joel McCandless and Tsubasa Okada, falling in a thrilling match, 7-6. At No. 3, seniors Troy Steiner and Jacob Linares also pushed their match to a tiebreak before ultimately losing to Nicolas Luis Vega and Tasmay Shah, 7-6.

RPI swept the singles slate, securing the crucial conference victory over Hobart. At No. 4, Vallabhajosula delivered a strong opening set against Okada, but came up short 7-6, 6-1.

In the No. 5 spot, Linares forced a third set against Shah, eventually falling 6-2, 5-7, 1-0. 

UP NEXT:

Hobart returns home for a midweek Liberty League clash with RIT at the HWS Tennis Center. First serve between the Statesmen and the Tigers is set for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16.