WILLIAMSBURGA, Va. - After winning six straight matches at home, the William & Mary men's tennis team hits the road for the first time since the opening weekend to meet No. 44-ranked Penn State on Sunday, Feb. 21. The match carries a 10 a.m. start time from the PSU Tennis Center.
 
Scouting William & Mary
The Tribe rolls into Happy Valley winners of six straight and at 7-2 on the year. The 7-2 start is the Green and Gold's best since opening the 2009 campaign at 9-2. W&M is coming off a doubleheader sweep of Binghamton, 6-1, and Villanova, 7-0, on Feb. 13. This past week, sophomore Christian Cargill and junior Damon Niquet became the second W&M doubles team to garner CAA Team of the Week honors. The pair, which is a perfect 6-0 on the year, posted wins at No. 3 doubles in helping the Tribe to the doubles point against both the Bearcats and Wildcats. Over the last two seasons, Cargill and Niquet are an impressive 13-1 as a combination. Cargill, who was named CAA Player of the Week in singles earlier this season, has been on a roll in singles as well. He has won six straight and sits at 7-2 at the top spot. He is also a team-best 12-4 in doubles action. Junior Aidan Talcott and sophomore Alec Miller lead the Tribe with 12 singles wins apiece. Talcott has been on a tear in dual-match play, sporting an 8-0 mark. Niquet has won six straight in singles action, while sophomore Lars de Boer owns four straight wins and sits at 10-6 overall.
 
Scouting Penn State
Penn State moved up to No. 44 in the ITA National Rankings on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions are 6-0 on the year following a doubleheader sweep of Bucknell and James Madison last weekend. PSU, who hosts No. 60 Cornell on Saturday before welcoming W&M and NJIT to University Park, Pa., on Sunday, owns wins over No. 41 Dartmouth, No. 72 Clemson and No. 60 Old Dominion. Last season, Penn State finished the year ranked No. 55 nationally after going 15-15 overall and 5-6 in Big Ten play. With its dominant start to 2016, PSU is a combined 30-5 in singles play and 13-4 in doubles in dual-match competition. The Nittany Lion's top player Leo Stakhovsky is ranked No. 47 nationally in singles. He is 6-0 at No. 1 including a three-set upset of No. 18-ranked Dovydas Sakinis of Dartmouth. Matt Berry, who is 10-4 overall and 5-1 in duals, and Aws Laaribi, who is 10-7 overall, entered the dual-match season in the national rankings at No. 99 and No. 120, respectively. Tomas Hanzlik owns a team-best singles mark of 13-5, including a 5-0 dual-match record at No. 4 and No. 5. Freshmen Ben Lieb (No. 6), who is 11-3 overall, and Constant De La Bassetiere  (No. 2/No. 3) are a perfect 5-0 in duals. David Kohan and Christian Lutschaunig comprise PSU's top doubles team, and they enter the weekend at 4-1 in dual-match play.
 
Series History: W&M vs. Penn State
The Nittany Lions took a 7-6 advantage in the all-time series with W&M thanks to a 5-2 win in University Park, Pa., in 2014. Sunday's meeting will be just the second between the two teams at Penn State. PSU has won the last four in the series. The programs have met just three times since the 1991 season. Penn State claimed a 4-3 win in 2009 and a 6-1 triumph in 2013, both in Williamsburg. Between 1983 and 1990, the Tribe won five of the six meetings.