Greyhounds mens tennis downs Bryant (9-0) wins ninth straight Northeast-10 regular-season title

April 15, 2007

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Junior ANTONIO RECALDE (Ciudad del Este, Paraguay/San Isadro Labrador) finished a superb individual season at No. 1 singles for the undefeated Assumption College men's tennis team with a near flawless week while leading the Greyhounds to their ninth consecutive Northeast-10 Conference regular-season championship.

Only Springfield College women's cross country (1983-94) with 11 straight championships owns a streak longer than the Greyhounds. Bryant University's golf team won nine straight (1983-91) titles and Stonehill College's women's lacrosse team has won the last eight championships and is in position to make it nine straight.

The 40th ranked team in the April 6 I.T.A. national poll (fourth in the region), the Greyhounds defeated Bryant University (9-0) Sunday for their conference-record 114th consecutive victory as Recalde won 6-0, 6-0 over Dylan Whiting. This past week Recalde won all five of his matches and four of them by 6-0, 6-0 scores. Only American International's Peter Almlof managed to take a point as Recalde won that match 6-1, 6-1. For the season he won six matches against conference competition by shut outs.

The Greyhounds are now 13-0 overall this season and completed the Northeast-10 Conference portion of their schedule 11-0. They will attempt to win their ninth straight conference postseason tournament championship beginning Friday hosting Southern New Hampshire. The Hounds have won their last 19 postseason conference matches consecutively. Bryant is now 9-7 overall and 7-4 in the conference.

The semifinal (1 p.m.) and championship (11 a.m.) rounds of the event are scheduled to be hosted by Bryant University Saturday and Sunday. The conference playoff winner receives an automatic berth in the N.C.A.A. tournament.

The N.C.A.A. Division II regional tournament is slated for May 3-4-5 at a site to be determined. Concordia, NY, Kutztown, PA and Mercy, NY are all ranked ahead of the Greyhounds in the region. The Greyhounds have earned seven straight N.C.A.A. berths winning the event in 2002 to advance to the nationals.

Recalde also extended his win streak at No. 1 doubles with partner, senior captain MATT STOPP (Altoona, PA/Altoona) to seven with an 8-1 romp over Whiting and Zach Goodman. Stopp shared the spotlight with Recalde, also winning five straight matches this week at the No. 2 singles position, two by 6-0, 6-0 scores. He defeated Bryant's Kevin Gardiner (6-3, 6-4).

Sophomore JARED DORFMAN (Providence, RI/LaSalle Academy) defeated Craig Drushella (6-0, 6-3) at No. 3 singles and then teamed with senior DAVE MARSHALL (Newington, CT/Kingswood-Oxford) to defeat Drushella and Gardiner (8-5) at No. 2 doubles. Marshall won his No. 4 singles match over Goodman, 6-2, 6-3.

Freshman TOM NOWAK (Medfield, MA/Medfield) won a 9-8 pro set singles match at No. 5 (7-4 in the tiebreaker) and teamed with junior RICH LIEBERMAN (East Haddam, CT/Nathan Hale Ray) to win 8-5 at No. 3 doubles over Kevin Levison/Matt Shephard. Sophomore STEVE TLUMACKI (Holliston, MA/Holliston) defeated Levision (8-3) at No. 6 singles.

INDIVIDUAL RECORDS: Stopp is now 59-3 overall in his career (33 1 at No. 2 and 26-2 at No. 3 singles) . . . he is also 62-4 overall in doubles . . . the 59 single wins is fifth-best in Hounds annals two behind Alex Madrigal (2000-04) who finished 61-6, while his .952 winning percentage is the best in Greyhound records . . . his 62 doubles wins is sixth best in Hounds history while his .939 winning percentage is first . . . Recalde sports a 40-5 career singles record and his .889 winning percentage is fifth all-time . . . his career doubles record is 48-4 and his .923 winning percentage is fourth best . . .

LAST TIME THE HOUNDS LOST a conference match was April 15, 1998 losing a 6-3 decision to Saint Michael's College. They won the previous four matches so they have won 118 of their last 119 . . .

COACH JOHN IPPOLITO'S RECORD is now a gaudy 184-41 for an .818 winning percentage . . . the Greyhounds are 101-13 against Northeast 10 Conference opponents . . . they are 19-0 in the postseason tournament . . . he is the 2000, 01, 03, and 05 conference coach of the year . . .