The Oswego State men’s and women’s tennis teams opened their 2026 seasons with a busy stretch of competition, as both programs faced tough early-season opponents before looking ahead to upcoming matches.

The men’s team opened its campaign on the road against RIT, falling 7-0 to the Tigers. The Lakers entered the season looking to establish a new identity following a 3-8 campaign in 2025-26, with a roster highlighted by youth as seven new faces joined three returning sophomores.

Sophomore Cole Lyons and junior Tyler Yhun opened doubles competition for Oswego, while newcomer Mike DeGroat and sophomore Zach Triantafillou competed in one of their own. The Lakers were unable to break through against a strong RIT lineup, as the Tigers swept all three doubles contests.

Oswego looked to regroup during singles play, but RIT continued its dominant performance. Lyons and Cosmo Lund each battled through their matches before falling in straight sets, while Yhun scored three points in each of his two sets against Justin Hardie. Ryan Keil also managed a point in his matchup with Greg Sauer, but the Tigers completed the 7-0 sweep.

The Lakers will look to bounce back when they return home to face Iona University at the Romney Tennis Courts on Oct. 23.

The women’s tennis team experienced a similarly challenging start before finishing its opening stretch on a high note. After reaching the SUNYAC tournament during the 2025 season, the Lakers opened 2026 with matches against Geneseo, RIT and SUNY Farmingdale.

Oswego was shut out by Geneseo in its opening match, although Kate Hayes and Isabella Eason provided a competitive showing in doubles before narrowly falling 7-5. Eason also showed resilience during singles play.

The Lakers then faced RIT, where Avery Borman and Aubrey Salati earned the team’s first victory of the season with a 6-3 doubles win. However, Oswego was unable to build on the momentum as the Tigers swept the remaining competition.

Oswego returned home the following day and responded with its strongest performance of the young season, defeating SUNY Farmingdale 7-0. Hayes and Eason blanked their opponents in doubles, while Borman earned a hard-fought three-set victory over Kaelin Burnett, winning the deciding set 10-6.

The Lakers remained undefeated throughout the rest of singles competition to secure the sweep and earn their first victory of the season.

The women’s team will return to the court Sept. 11 when it travels to face Utica University at 3:30 p.m., while the men’s squad will continue working toward its next opportunity later this fall.