ITHACA, N.Y. – The men's tennis team will get a first-hand look at most of its Ivy League competition this weekend, when it competes in the ECAC Indoor Championships, hosted by Penn in Philadelphia.
Cornell (2-4) is coming off a challenging road trip in which it hung tough with two teams figuring to be in the mix for NCAA tournament berths before ultimately suffering losses. Junior
Lev Kazakov won in both singles and doubles in Saturday's 4-2 loss at 18th-ranked Oklahoma, and the doubles point and singles victories from sophomore
Evan Bynoe and junior
Pietro Rimondini marked a 4-3 defeat Sunday at the hands of Tulsa – which is receiving votes for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's poll for the national top 25.
This year's ECAC Indoor Championships entries are comprised entirely of Ivy League entries. The one exclusion is Columbia, which creates unique playing format for the seven-team field. The Big Red has been seeded fourth, meaning it will open up at 3 p.m. Friday against fifth-seeded host Penn.
The Quakers are off to a 6-1 start this spring, including a 4-3 victory last Saturday over a VCU team that the Big Red also defeated in January's ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Penn's lone loss to date came on its only road match – a 6-1 loss at nationally-ranked Baylor on Jan. 21. The Quakers have found the most singles success from the top three positions, where it's a combined 18-2. Kyle Mautner (5-1) returns to anchor the top spot, followed by Edoardo Graziani at No. 2 (4-1) and Kevin Zhu at No. 3 (6-0).
The Quakers lead the all-time series, 45-42-1, dating back to the teams' first meeting in 1906. The teams split two matches last year, starting with the Big Red's 4-1 quarterfinal victory over the Quakers in last year's ECAC Indoor Championships.
The Big Red last won the ECAC tournament in 2013, which was also the last time it was staged at Reis Tennis Center in Ithaca, N.Y. Cornell finished fourth last season and taking second in each of the last two seasons prior.
Should Cornell win Friday, it would face top-seeded Dartmouth in a semifinal at 3 p.m. Saturday, with the third-place match slated for noon Sunday and the championship at 3 p.m. Sunday. If Penn defeats Cornell on Friday, the Big Red would wait until 9 a.m. Sunday to play its next match against an opponent to be determined after Saturday's first match.
