NEW YORK – With a long road of fall tournaments and winter non-league dual matches in its wake, the Cornell men's tennis team kicks off Ivy League play at 1 p.m. Saturday with a match against Columbia at Reis Tennis Center.
 
Cornell (10-4) is now ranked 42nd in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association after winning its last five matches. During that stretch, the Big Red has gutted out 4-3 victories against Middle Tennessee State and VCU, while also defeating Nebraska and Old Dominion. In its most recent match, Cornell swept St. John's, 7-0, last Saturday at Reis Tennis Center.
 
As a team, the Big Red is an impressive 37-17 in dual singles matches. The team's newcomers continue to shine, with freshman Chris Vrabel winning his last four matches from the bottom portion of the order, sophomore Stefan Vinti enjoying a five-match winning streak from the No. 2 spot, and freshman Bernardo Casares Rosa riding a four-match winning streak from the No. 3 position. In doubles, junior Sam Fleck and Vrabel comprise the 69th-ranked tandem in the country.
 
The Lions lead the all-time series against the Big Red, 52-40-1, though Cornell has won four of the last six meetings. The teams split two clases last year, with the Big Red's victory serving as one of its biggest moments of the season. Seeded fourth in the eight-team field for the 2013 ECAC Indoor Championships, Cornell blew by Columbia for a 4-0 victory in the finals. The Lions rebounded with a 4-3 win in the teams' Ivy League opener the following month.
 
Columbia has established itself as one of the Ivy League favorites this season, entering this weekend with a 13-1 record and 11 straight victories since a Jan. 25 setback against then-No. 3 Georgia at the ITA Kick-Off Classic. Most recently, the Lions earned 4-3 victories at SMU and TCU during a spring trip through Texas. The wins have bumped Columbia up to a ranking of 18th in the country. Undefeated in dual matches this season, junior Winston Lin is ranked 14th in the nation in singles – though he has also spent time in the top 10. Juniors Ashok Narayana and Max Schnur are the 12th-ranked doubles team in the country.

Follow the match live online here.