Men's Tennis Set for Patriot League Debut with Home Matches against Colgate, Boston University

Friday, March 29

Lewisburg, Pa.

3 p.m.

Bucknell University

Colgate

Oscar Bain Moreno de Vegas & Amar Tahirovic

Photo by: Ben Popko

Men's Tennis Set for Patriot League Debut with Home Matches against Colgate, Boston University

3/28/2024 12:06:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Colgate (4-10, 1-0 PL) at Bucknell (10-4, 0-0 PL)
When: Friday, Mar. 29, 3 p.m.
Where: Varsity Tennis Courts, Lewisburg, Pa.
LIVE RESULTS

Boston University (13-7, 1-0 PL) at Bucknell (10-4, 0-0 PL)
When: Sunday, Mar. 31, 11 a.m.
Where: Varsity Tennis Courts, Lewisburg, Pa.
LIVE RESULTS

Bucknell at a Glance

With 14 spring dual matches under their belts, the Bison now turn their attention to Patriot League play as Colgate and Boston University visit Lewisburg this weekend. The Bison will host Colgate on Friday and Boston University on Sunday, and the Raiders and Terriers will play on Bucknell's courts on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Bison have played some excellent tennis thus far and enter the weekend on a three-match winning streak. Bucknell swept a pair of Atlantic 10 squads last week, blanking Duquesne 7-0 and defeating Saint Joseph's 5-2. A week earlier, Bucknell bested Temple 6-1 for its first win over the Owls since 1982.
Bucknell typically starts a young lineup that features a freshman, four sophomores, and a senior. The two reserves are also freshmen, as Tim Zelikovsky is the only player on the roster older than a sophomore.
One of those sophomores, Amar Tahirovic, leads the team from the No. 1 position in both singles and doubles. In singles, Tahirovic is 10-4 in duals and 19-5 overall, including the fall tournament schedule. He is also 21-7 in doubles, including a 7-4 record in dual matches with partner Brendan McDonald.
Zelikovsky is in the midst of an outstanding senior season playing in the bottom half of the lineup. After posting two more singles wins last week, he is now 22-2 on the full season and 13-1 in dual matches. He is also 17-5 in doubles, including a 10-2 mark with freshman Liam Kilmer at No. 3.
Kilmer and Zelikovsky teamed up for the doubles-clinching win last week at Saint Joe's, and Kilmer also won his two singles matches last weekend by conceding only seven games in the four sets. He is now 18-5 in singles and 18-5 in doubles this season.
Zelikovsky is now 64-23 in singles and 44-29 in doubles in his career. The 64 singles wins are tied for sixth-most in Bucknell history, and his .736 winning percentage would be 10th-best in team annals.
Sophomores Oscar Bain Moreno de Vega (19-8) and Adam Stavrakas (15-8) are also enjoying outstanding seasons, and freshman Will Robinson (9-2) has filled in nicely when needed.
Bucknell now has a 115-48 (.706) combined singles record and a 60-29 (.674) doubles mark.
The Bison have won the doubles point in 11 of their 14 dual matches, with the only exceptions coming against Delaware, Westmont, and Loyola Marymount.

Colgate at a Glance/Series History

The Raiders snapped a four-match losing streak with a 5-2 win over Holy Cross last Saturday. Now 4-10 on the season, Colgate also has wins over Wagner, Rochester, and Rider.
Colgate was 5-16 overall and 3-5 in the Patriot League last season. The Raiders hosted the 2023 Patriot League Tournament but dropped their quarterfinal match to Boston University, 4-0.
Jerome Falcon leads the team with a 7-5 singles record, playing mostly in the No. 5 spot. Benito Vlassis (3-6) and Josh Israel (0-5) have split time in the No. 1 spot.
Israel and Vlassis are 6-6 at No. 1 doubles, and Israel has also paired with Aidan Lee for two wins in the top spot. The Raiders are 22-18 in doubles in dual matches this spring.
The Bison are 21-55 all-time against Colgate in a series that dates back to 1942, but the Bucknell has won four of the last five meetings.
Bucknell won 5-2 last season indoors at Drumlins Tennis Center in Syracuse. The Bison won the doubles point and then received singles wins from Amar Tahirovic at No. 1, Michael Owen at No. 3, Tim Zelikovsky at No. 4, and Brendan McDonald at No. 5. Ben Vlassis (No. 2) and Tajas Gupta (No. 6) were Colgate's winners.

Boston University at a Glance/Series History

The Terriers will be one of the best teams the Bison have faced to date. They are coming off a 4-2 win over Navy in Annapolis last Sunday, and a pair of 4-3 losses to UC San Diego is all that separates them from a six-match winning streak
Boston University's win over Navy avenged a loss to the Midshipmen in the 2023 Patriot League Tournament final. Navy won the doubles point, but the Terriers came back to win four of the five completed singles contests.
The Terriers are led by 2023 Patriot League Rookie of the Year Corey Craig, who defeated 2023 PL Player of the Year Sasha Panyan of Navy 6-3, 6-2 last week. Craig, a lefty who has already won five PL Player of the Week citations this spring, is 15-5 overall and a perfect 13-0 in dual matches at No. 1 singles this season. His last loss came at the Yale Invitational back in November.
Craig typically plays doubles in the No. 3 spot with Jakob Esterowitz, and that tandem is 8-2 on the season.
Ben Letzer (11-6) and Jonah Dickinson (10-7) have also reached double-digit singles wins on the season.
Bucknell is 7-4 all-time against Boston University. The Bison won 4-0 in South Williamsport in 2022, but the Terriers returned the favor with a 4-0 win last year in Syracuse.

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