ITHACA, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's tennis team advanced to their fifth straight Liberty League final on Saturday afternoon, as they defeated No. 34 and No. 1 seed Skidmore by a 5-0 final score in the semifinals. The Engineers, the No. 33 team in the country and No. 4 seed in the tournament improve to 12-6 overall.
 
The Engineers will square off against No. 2 seeded Hobart in the championship match on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the right to advance to the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualifier. Hobart defeated No. 3 Vassar in a tightly contested 5-4 matchup late Saturday. Skidmore concludes their season with a 10-8 overall record.
 
After taking the No. 3 and No. 2 doubles matchups, the Engineers led 2-0 but looked like they might fall at the No. 1 spot in the match. However, Aidan Drover-Mattinen and Any Zhu fought back from a 5-1 deficit and took home a clutch 8-7 (7) victory at the top spot to give RPI a commanding 3-0 lead heading into singles play.
 
As singles got underway, senior Abraham Yohannes breezed through at No. 3 singles taking a 6-3, 6-1 win to push the Engineers within a clinching point. Jonathan McMillian wasn't far behind at No. 5 singles, taking a 6-2, 7-6 (7) win to clinch the match.
 
The Engineers and Statesmen met one time this season, with Hobart taking a close 5-4 win in Geneva on April 22.