ITHACA, N.Y. — The men's tennis team returns to Reis Tennis for a three-match home stand to close out non-league play, starting with matches at 6 p.m. Thursday vs. Buffalo and 2 p.m. Saturday against William & Mary.
 
Cornell (5-6) has been idle since the first weekend of the month, when it defeated pair of ranked teams in a trip to the Midwest to ascend into the national top 50 itself. The Big Red checks in at 41st in the country, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, helped by victories over 44th-ranked Iowa and 48th-ranked Oregion. The Big Red concluded the busy weekend with a 4-2 loss at Wisconsin, playing its third match in as many days.
 
Senior Daniel Grunberger continues to lead the team in singles victories with a 7-4 record from the middle positions, while junior David Volfson defeated opponents from both Iowa and Oregon to move to 4-3 from the top two spots. First-semester freshman Alafia Ayeni continues to have a strong collegiate debut with a 5-4 mark from Nos. 1 and 2, and sophomore Lev Kazakov has won four of his last five from No. 3.
 
Buffalo is 7-5 after splitting its MAC-opening weekend, rebounding from a 5-2 loss to Western Michigan on Saturday with a 6-1 triumph over host Toledo on Sunday. Two of the Bulls' losses this year have come against Ivy League squads – Jan. 27 at Dartmouth, 4-0, and Feb. 11 vs. Princeton, 4-3. Hao Sheng Koay is 6-3 from the top spot in singles, and Ethan Nittolo is 7-1 when competing at No. 2. When teamed together at No. 2 doubles, Nittolo and Koay are 5-1. The Big Red is 26-1 all-time against the Bulls, with that one Buffalo victory coming in 2016.
 
William & Mary is 9-6, coming off victories of 7-0 against James Madison on Saturday and 4-0 against Troy on Sunday. The Tribe is 1-5 away from its home facility, with the one road victory coming Feb. 18 at Valparaiso. It's split its first two matches against Ivy League foes this season, following up a 4-3 victory over Penn on Jan. 27 with a 4-2 loss Feb. 24 vs. Yale. Alec Miller (9-4) and Christian Cargill (6-8) typically compete in the top two singles positions for William & Mary. Finbar Talcott leads the team with a 10-4 singles records from the Nos. 4 and 5 spots. As a team, the Tribe is 15-24 in doubles.
 
Cornell is an even 8-8 all-time against William & Mary, with the last meeting resulting in a 4-0 victory for the Big Red on March 15, 2013 in the Blue-Gray Invitational in Montgomery, Ala.