WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary men's tennis team kicks off a four-match homestand against Patriot League foe Bucknell on Sunday, Feb. 28. The match carries 10 a.m. start time at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center.
 
Scouting William & Mary
The Tribe had its six-match win streak snapped at the hands of Penn State last weekend. PSU moved up to No. 21 in the first computerized national rankings of 2016, released on Tuesday. In the match, juniors Aidan Talcott and Damon Niquet continued individual win streaks, handing their Nittany Lion counterparts dual-match losses for the first time this season. Talcott, who is 13-6 overall, ran his record in duals to a percent 9-0, while Niquet notched his seventh-straight win at No. 6. Sophomore Christian Cargill, who lost in a pair of tiebreakers to the No. 59-ranked player in the country from Penn State to snap a six-match win streak, holds down the No.1 spot for W&M at 7-3. Despite the loss to Penn State, W&M sits at 7-3 on the year with two of its three losses coming to teams currently ranked in the top 32 nationally. Included in the Tribe's haul of victories was a 5-2 triumph over current No. 59-ranked Penn at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center. The Tribe, which opens a four-match homestand against Bucknell, is a perfect 6-0 at home this season. Following its four home matches, W&M plays six straight on the road, including three consecutive matches against nationally-ranked foes at the Rice Invitational, March 26-27.
 
Scouting Bucknell
Bucknell enters the match at 4-3, including a 3-3 mark on the road. The Bison will travel to Old Dominion and Norfolk State, before making the trek to Williamsburg on Sunday. Last weekend, Bucknell split a pair of 4-3 matches on the road, falling at St. Francis (Pa.) and downing Youngstown State. W&M and BU have one common opponent in nationally-ranked Penn State. The Tribe dropped a 5-2 decision to the Nittany Lions last week, while the Bison fell at PSU, 6-1. Along with the win over Youngstown State, Bucknell owns wins over Le Moyne, 9-0, La Salle, 7-0, and Niagara, 7-0. Nick Bybel owns a 3-1 mark at No. 1 singles and is 10-5 overall. Daniel Wright tallied a team-high 12 singles wins, including a 4-2 ledger in duals. He is 2-1 at No. 1. Max Haase is the only other player in doubles-digit wins at 11-6. Timber Erskine, Max McDonald and Andrei Vitiuc have nine wins each, while Vitiuc is a team-best 5-1 in dual-match play. Bucknell has used eight different doubles teams during duals. Bryan Adams and Bybel are a team-best 5-4 in doubles and have played the last three at the No. 1 spot.
 
Series History: W&M vs. Bucknell
Sunday will be the first meeting between the Tribe and Bison. It will also be the first of two matches against Patriot League competition this season as W&M hosts Navy last this year on April 16 at the Millie West Tennis Facility.