Greyhounds men's tennis earns eighth straight N.C.A.A. regional berth

April 27, 2007

WORCESTER, Mass. --- The Assumption College men's tennis team has received, as expected, its eighth straight N.C.A.A. Division II regional tournament berth.


The Greyhounds won their record-setting ninth straight Northeast-10 Conference postseason title Saturday (April 21) beating Bentley College, 5-0, in the championship match. The team won its ninth straight regular-season title with an 11-0 record . . . their ninth straight undefeated season in conference play. The Greyhounds have won their last 117 matches in conference competition.


N.C.A.A. DIVISION II/I.T.A. EAST POLL (April 18, 2007)

1. Concordia, NY (16-2) East Coast Conference CHAMPION

2. Kutztown, PA (10-2) Penn. State Athletic Conference CHAMPION

3. Mercy, NY (9-3)

4. Assumption (16-0) Northeast-10 Conference CHAMPION

5. Dowling, NY (9-5)

6. Stonehill (15-5)

7. Queens, NY (9-7)

8. Bentley (12-10)

The FOURTH-SEEDED Greyhounds, now 16-0 overall, are scheduled to play FIFTH-SEEDED Dowling, NY (9-5) in their first match Thursday, May 3 at host Stonehill College at 11 a.m. In the other pairing, Northeast-10 Conference rival and SIXTH-SEEDED Stonehill College (15-5) plays TOP-SEEDED Concordia, NY (16-2) at 2 p.m.

The regional final is slated for Friday, May 4 at 11 a.m. with the winner moving the national championship tournament scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, May 9-12 at Sanlando Park, Altamonte Springs, FL hosted by Rollins College and the Central Florida Sports Commission.

In the 'other' East Regional at Kutztown, PA, Northeast-10 Conference runner up and EIGHTH-SEEDED Bentley College (12-10) plays the host, SECOND SEEDED Kutztown (10-2), in the first round, while THIRD-SEEDED Mercy, NY (9 3) plays against SEVENTH-SEEDED Queens, NY (9-7).

The Greyhounds have played Dowling once before in N.C.A.A. postseason action defeating the Lions (5-0) in the 2002 regional semifinal at Assumption College en route to the regional title.

The Dowling match will feature a battle of two of the top singles players in the ITA East rankings. Greyhounds junior and Northeast-10 Conference Player-of-the Year ANTONIO RECALDE (Ciudad del Este, Paraguay/San Isador Labrador), who owns an impressive 13-1 overall record and is ranked 10th in the East faces the Dowling's GUSTAVO SANCHEZ (Valencia, Venezuela). Sanchez is ranked eighth in the East and has won 12 of his last 13 matches, losing only to thrid-ranked Alex Grubin of Concordia, NY.

The first doubles match also features regional ranked teams. Recalde teams with Hounds captain and senior MATT STOPP (Altoona, PA/Altoona) (12-1 overall) and both first-team all-Northeast-10 Conference and currently ranked third in the region. Dowling's Sanchez and JOSE GOMEZ (Asuncion, Paraguay) are ranked sixth in the region.

The Greyhounds, who have won 117 consecutive against Northeast-10 Conference competition, defeated Mercy, NY (5-1) in last year's N.C.A.A. regional. Their season ended the following day in a 5-2 loss to Kutztown, PA.

GREYHOUND MEN'S TENNIS N.C.A.A. HISTORY

2006: East Regional at Stonehill College

Mercy, NY Won, 5-4

Concordia, NY Lost, 1-5

2005: East Regional at Kutztown, PA University

Mercy, NY Won 5-1

at Kutztown, PA Lost, 2-5

2004: East Regional at Kutztown, PA University

Queens, NY Won, 5-2

at Kutztown, PA Lost, 0-5

2003: East Regional at Kutztown, PA University

Adelphi, NY Won, 5-0

at Kutztown, PA Lost, 4-5

2002: East Regional at Assumption College

Dowling, NY Won, 5-0

Bloomsburg, PA Won, 5-4

2002: Nationals at Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO

Brigham Young-Hawaii Lost, 0-5

2001: East Regional at Bloomsburg, PA

Belmont Abbey, NC Lost, 2-5

2000: East Regional at Anderson, SC

Erskine, SC Lost, 1-5

The Greyhounds have set their flights as follows:

SINGLES COMPETITION

No. 1 . . . ANTONIO RECALDE (Jr., C. del Este, Paraguay/S.I. Labrador), 13-1 record

No. 2 . . . MATT STOPP (Sr., Altoona, PA/Altoona), 14-0 record

No. 3 . . . JARED DORFMAN (So., Providence, RI/LaSalle), 13-0 record

No. 4 . . . DAVE MARSHALL (Sr., Newington, CT/Kingswood-Oxford), 10-1 record

No. 5 . . . TOM NOWAK (Fr., Medfield, MA/Medfield), 13-1 record

No. 6 . . . STEVE TLUMACKI (So., Holliston, MA/Holliston, 11-0 record

DOUBLES COMPETITION

No. 1 . . . STOPP and RECALDE, 12-1 record

No. 2 . . . MARSHALL and DORFMAN, 8-1 record

No. 3 . . . Rich LIEBERMAN (So., East Haddam, CT/Nathan Hale Ray) and NOWAK, 7-0 record

For more information on the 2007 NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Championships, log-on to www.ncaasports.com.