In what will unquestionably be a very busy weekend at the Reis Tennis Center, the Red will host four schools over the next three days. The action kicks off tomorrow when the women’s team takes on Binghamton (3-0, 0-0 AEC). The Red (2-3, 0-0 Ivy) then plays Rutgers (3-1, 1-0 Big East) in a Sunday morning matinee to close out the weekend. While the women are off the courts, the men’s team will face off against Buffalo (2-1, 0-0 MAC) and Fairleigh Dickinson (2-1, 0-0 NEC) in a double header on Saturday.
The men look to build upon the success they had last weekend in New Haven, Conn., when they picked up two wins in three chances, including a victory over Ivy foe Princeton.
“We beat Princeton 7-0. I don’t know if that’s ever happened before in the history of Cornell tennis,” said junior Jon Jaklitsch.
This weekend the Red will have the opportunity to take down two non-conference opponents whom it has handled very well in the past. The men’s squad is an impressive 20-0 against Buffalo in the all-time standings, and also boasts a 3-0 mark against Fairleigh Dickinson.
“I think Buffalo is pretty good … but every single time the men play they can win,” said head coach David Geatz.
Jaklitsch echoed his coach’s sentiments, saying that he and his teammates fully expect a tough matchup with the Bulls.
“Buffalo is a really tough team; they’ve gotten much better over the past few years,” Jaklitsch said.
Geatz, in his second year at the helm of the Cornell tennis program, remains confident that the Red has the ability to win on any given day regardless of how difficult the opponent may be.
“The men’s team is going be right in the mix for an Ivy League title,” Geatz said.
This will be the first time that the Red has played either team since it hosted both squads at the Reis Tennis Center during the 2008 season. The Red came away with victories in both matches, defeating Dickinson, 5-2, and holding off Buffalo in a close, 4-3, win.
The women’s team also has history on its side in this weekend’s matchup against Binghamton, who Cornell has not had quite as much success against, and Rutgers. The Red holds a 10-1 all-time lead in its series with the Bobcats, while the Scarlet Knights have gotten the best of the women’s team, winning seven of the 11 meetings between the two squads.
“Binghamton’s good, and I think that will be a tough match,” Geatz said.
Geatz added that he did not know much about Rutgers, but that its record certainly indicated that the team would be a worthy opponent.
The Red did not have much success last weekend, losing two of its three matches in Cambridge, Mass.; however, it did pick up a win over Ancient Eight foe Columbia, 3-1. Despite losing two of three, Geatz stated that he was happy with the progress the women’s team was making and fully expects the team to be a contender in the near future.
“We’re not ready to win the Ivy championship yet, but next year a couple of good recruits could put us over the top,” Geatz said.
With the season still young, both teams remain in contention for an Ivy title, and wins this weekend would go a long way towards making those goals attainable.
Original Author: Evan Rich