Men's Tennis Opens Three-Match Home Stretch Against Villanova on Tuesday

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Nick Bybel will attempt to make Bucknell men's tennis history when the Bison host Villanova on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. With a win, the junior would become the program's leader in career singles victories.

Bybel enters the match with a career singles mark of 76-21. He is currently tied with Ira Reibeisen, who went 76-54 from 2004-08. Bybel has already surpassed the single-season wins mark, posting a record of 28-3, including victories in each of his past 11 matches.

Teaming with Bryan Adams, Bybel has a four-match winning streak in doubles play. Adams and Bybel are 10-2 in dual matches while playing in the top spot. The Bison also have a winning record of 8-5 at No. 3, where Max Kane has gone 8-5 and Ben Gerber is 7-4.

Bucknell (7-6) has three players with two-match winning streaks in singles, led by Daniel Wright, who improved to 10-2 during the spring with wins against Mount St. Mary's and Chestnut Hill. Octavio Canibe upped his spring record to 5-8 and William Szamosszegi is 5-2 with back-to-back wins.

Bucknell and Vlllanova have traded results over the past three seasons. The Wildcats won 5-2 in 2012 and 4-3 in 2014, while the Bison were 5-2 winners in 2013.

Villanova is 2-12 on the season, but has had a tough schedule. The Wildcats have lost eight straight matches, including a 7-0 defeat to Xavier in their most recent appearance. The two wins came against La Salle and Delaware. The schedule also included a 4-3 loss to Lehigh.

Tuesday's match is the first of three straight at home for the Bison. They will host George Mason on Saturday and will open Patriot League play against Lafayette on Thursday, April 2. The Patriots are 5-7 and are coming off a 6-1 loss to William & Mary.

The Bison have also traded results with George Mason over the past three years. The Patriots won a shortened match 3-2 last year and took a 4-3 victory in 2012. The Bison won 4-3 in 2013.