NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The Smith College Tennis team kicks off their season with a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference matchup with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday, September 10.  Here's the basics on the Engineers.

Last Meeting: September 11, 2010.  MIT defeated Smith in the Pioneers' season opener by a 7-2 count.  Nikki Anderson (Sherborn, Mass./Dover-Sherborn) and Maggie Steiner (Madison, Conn./Academy of Our Lady of Mercy) combined for an 8-2 win at No. 2 doubles, and Eunice Zhao (Las Vegas, Nev./Liberty) battled for a 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 win at No. 6 singles.

Last Smith win:  October 17, 1998.  Smith beat MIT 8-1 in their final team match of the fall season.

Smith Overview: The Pioneers prepare for the season with renewed optimism, as they look to return to the NEWMAC tournament for the first time since 2009.  Returners Clair Oblamski (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield East), Jaimi Inskeep (Warrenville, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville So.), and Eunice Zhao (Las Vegas, Nev./Liberty) will lead the charge for Smith.

MIT Overview: The Engineers, who lost in the semifinals of the NEWMAC tournament, won three regular season and tournament titles at the turn of the century, winning in 1999, 2001, and 2002.  MIT is a young team, with six of the 10 players being freshmen or sophomores.

Smith Player To Watch: Clair Oblamski (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield East).  The senior posted a 4-6 record at singles last fall, including winning her final two matches of the semester.

MIT Player To Watch: Lauren Quisenberry.  A sophomore, Quisenberry went 19-0 at No. 1 singles in non-tournament matches last year.

Did you know? Head coach Carol Matsuzaki is a former player at MIT, and is the first person to win Athlete of the Year and Coach of the Year in NEWMAC history.