Ivy Title Defense For No. 26 Men's Tennis Starts Saturday vs. No. 46 Cornell
3/26/2015 10:43:00 AM | Men's Tennis
| vs. Cornell (8-5, 0-0 Ivy League) | |
| Date Venue Social Hashtags Match Notes |
Saturday, March 28 Dick Savitt Tennis Center @GoColumbiaLions | @ColumbiaMTennis #TurnItBlue Columbia Notes | Cornell Notes |
NEW YORK – As defending Ivy League champion, the No. 26 Columbia men's tennis team's title defense and quest for second straight crown begins Saturday, March 28 versus No. 46 Cornell at 1 p.m. at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center.
STAY SOCIAL
Stay up-to-date with all the latest news and notes on Columbia Athletics by connecting with the Lions on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Be sure to use hashtags #TurnItBlue or #RoarLionRoar for an insider's look at Columbia's teams and student-athletes.
STUDENT REWARDS
The first 50 students that show the Lions their support on Saturday will receive a free Columbia Athletics water bottle. Admission is free so be sure to roar your Lions on in their first Ivy League match of the season.
LOWDOWN ON THE NO. 26 LIONS (7-5)
Columbia is eyeing its second straight Ivy League title as it commences with league play, but will have to face one of the most talented Ancient Eight fields in recent history to do so.
Doubles play from the Lions has been up and down at various points throughout the 2014-15 campaign, but Columbia did well to claim seven doubles points in non-conference action. Columbia's top doubles tandem of Ashok Narayana and Max Schnur sit at No. 26 in the most recent ITA rankings, but it is the second team of Winston Lin and Mike Vermeer that holds a team-best 8-1 record. Lin and Vermeer's, who land 50th in the national rankings, lone defeat came in the Lions latest outing versus USC's then-No. 50 Eric Johnson and Max de Vroome.
No. 21 Lin has been dialed in atop the Lions singles lineup with an impressive 7-4 dual record against some of the country's top players, while Vermeer leads all Lions with an undefeated 6-0 mark at various spots in the lineup.
SCOUTING NO. 46 CORNELL (8-5)
The Big Red has been solid this year with an 8-5 overall record and currently rides a four-match win streak into Saturday.
Chris Vrabel is the hottest player in the Cornell lineup, having won his last eight decisions in singles play, including seven in straight sets, all at the fifth position. Sam Fleck and Colin Sinclair have made the most difference in doubles action, as the Big Red's second pair has gone 8-0.
WE MEET AGAIN
For the fourth season, the Lions and Big Red will meet in their Ivy League opener. Columbia owns each of the previous three wins including a 7-0 shutout of Cornell a year ago.
MORE READING: No. 18 Men's Tennis Wins Ivy League Opener to Bring Win Streak to 12
SWEEPING
Columbia swept Binghamton and Monmouth in its Feb. 21 and Feb. 27 to post back-to-back sweeps for the first time this season and first time since blanking Penn and Princeton in straight contests last season to capture the Ivy League Championship. A year ago, the Lions notched 13 clean sheets.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
For the past decade Columbia has put on a show for its home crowd posting a 61-7 record at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center including five undefeated home seasons. Currently, the Lions ride a 19-match win streak under the roof of the tennis center, dating back to Feb. 1, 2013. This season Columbia is on the road to its sixth unbeaten mark as it sits 3-0 in the friendly confines of the tennis center.
IN THE RANKINGS
Columbia sits at No. 26 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Poll this week after rising as high as No. 11 Feb. 17, its highest ranking in program history. The Lions are the highest of seven Ivy League teams in the rankings.
As of March 24, Columbia singles players, Winston Lin ranks 21st in the ITA followed by Dragos Ignat at 105th. In doubles, Max Schnur and Ashok Narayana rank 26th in the country, while Mike Vermeer is on the 46th and 50th doubles teams with Richard Pham and Winston Lin, respectively.
| DATE Jan. 6 Jan. 20 Jan. 28 Feb. 3 Feb. 17 Feb. 24 March 3 March 10 March 17 March 24 |
Rank 16 16 13 15 11 13 15 23 29 26 |
RELATED LINK: ITA RANKINGS
REWRITING HISTORY
Just about a month into the season, the Lions have already rewritten the program's history books. Here are a few highlights of what Columbia has already accomplished in 2014-15:
· Won ITA Kick-Off Weekend for the first time since appearing in the event seven years ago.
· Earned the first bid to ITA National Team Indoors for the first time in 20 years.
· Defeated the highest ranked opponent in then-No. 14 Notre Dame, 4-3, in the ITA Kick-Off Championship Jan. 25.
· Upstaged its defeat of then 14th-ranked Fighting Irish, with a 4-3 victory over then-No. 12 Cal in the back draw of ITA National Team Indoors Feb. 14.
· Earned the program's highest ITA Ranking at No. 11.
LAST TIME OUT
After splitting its first two matches at the BNP Paribas Collegiate Tennis Challenge presented by Oracle, the No. 29 Columbia men's tennis team faced off against Southern California in the third-place match. The Lions could not over the fourth-ranked Trojan as they fell, 4-0, inside the Indian Wells Tennis Garden to claim fourth.
USC locked up the doubles point and zipped through three straight singles wins to secure the victory.
MORE READING: No. 4 Southern California Blanks No. 29 Men's Tennis at BNP Paribas Challenge
UP NEXT
Columbia takes its talents on the road when it heads north for matches at Dartmouth and Harvard. The Lions will visit the Big Green Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m., before stopping by Cambridge Sunday, April 5 for a 2 p.m. dual versus the Crimson.
