The Raider men’s and women’s tennis teams had a great weekend of tennis as the squads finished with a combined record of 2-3 in five Patriot League matches.

Although the men split two matches this weekend, they not only clinched a berth in the Patriot League captain, but senior co-captain Reed Hagmann also eclipsed Colgate’s record for singles victories.

The first match of the weekend for the men came on a beautiful Saturday against the Bucknell Bison. The Raiders easily dispatched of the Bison, 6-1, in front of a rowdy crowd of Raider fans that were enjoying Spring Party Weekend at the Abrahamson Courts.

The Raiders swept all three doubles matches and then proceeded to win five of six singles contests. Hagmann won his match in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0, tying the all-time Raider singles wins mark. The Raiders were also glad to see sophomore Marshall Wheeler back in the lineup, as he was able to get his first win of the spring season. Wheeler is not in full form yet, but he will still give opponents trouble in the upcoming weeks.

The win raised the Raiders’ record in the Patriot League to 3-1 and set up a showdown with league-leading American on Sunday.

With many parents in Hamilton for Parents’ Weekend, the Raiders hoped to come out with a big win that would propel them into a three-way tie for first place in the Patriot League.

The men played extremely well in doubles competition as the match came down to the first doubles tandem of Hagmann and sophomore Chris Innes. However, the duo fell in a close match, 6-8, and American took a 1-0 lead into singles play.

The singles matches then got underway and the Raiders tied the match at one after an emotional straight set victory by Hagmann. The victory gave him 88 career victories, which broke the all-time Colgate singles record. Hagmann was given a big round of applause by the fans in attendance, and the Short Hills, N.J. native shared a great moment with his teammates and parents after the match.

The Raiders could only find one other singles victory in the bottom five spots, however, as Innes was victorious in a great three-set match, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4. The men lost the match, 5-2, but they came close in every match on Sunday.

Hagmann had many reasons to be happy after the match. “I am happy I broke the record, but we are right there with these guys,” Hagmann said. “I can’t wait for the Patriot League Tournament because we can definitely pull something off.”

“I thought we played great doubles all weekend and played some strong singles,” head coach Patrick Fisher said. “That Bucknell match was just a textbook victory, as we just took care of business. Against American, one or two points would have turned that match around. It’s tough we didn’t get the doubles point, but we showed we can easily compete with them. We are at a good point right now and we will be tough to play against in the tournament.”

The 1-1 weekend brought the Raiders’ Patriot League record to 3-2 and their overall record to 8-16. The entire team feels optimistic about the Patriot League Tournament and, now that everyone is finally getting healthy, the men’s team has a great opportunity to win.

The women’s tennis team had three league matches this weekend and went 1-2, which was good enough to clinch a berth in the Patriot League Tournament.

The women lost their first match of the weekend, 5-2 to Bucknell, but they had great singles performances by first-year Alex Seaton and junior Lilien Vo to give the team its two points. The Raiders were swept in three doubles contests, but they were close in every singles match.

Even though they lost the Friday match-up, the Raiders came out and played an inspired match on Sunday against American to win, 5-2. With many of their family members present, the Colgate women made sure to provide a winning performance.

The ladies cruised through the doubles matches to take an early 1-0 lead. The Raiders then won the bottom four singles matches to clinch the match. Senior first singles player Marissa Alikpala had to retire in her first match back from injury, but the team hopes that she will return for the Patriot League Tournament this weekend.

The women finished their weekend with a match at home against Army, but were defeated, 6-1. The team was swept at all three doubles spots, with Alikpala and Vo losing a tight second doubles match, 8-9. Vo completed a perfect 3-0 weekend in singles, however, for the team’s lone win against Army. Vo has really stepped up her game in recent weeks, and she will be crucial for success in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament.

Seaton also had a solid weekend in singles and, as usual, she played well in doubles. However, the Raiders have been plagued by injuries: neither Alikpala nor sophomore Lindsay Grossman has been at full strength. The team will need them both playing their best this weekend in order to pull off an upset in the league tournament.

It was an amazing Parents’ Weekend for both teams and the men and women are both pumped for the conclusion of the season. The women will travel to West Point for the Patriot League Tournament beginning tomorrow, while the men finish the league season on Sunday against Navy, as both teams prepare for action and look for an exciting finish to the spring season.