Greyhounds Win Eighth-Straight Northeast-10 Conference Championship; Extend Amazing Win Streak to an Even 100!

April 17, 2006

WORCESTER, Mass. --- On Monday the Assumption College men's tennis team not only survived its biggest Northeast-10 Conference challenge in several years it passed it with flying colors.

Stonehill College came into the match at 13-3 overall and a perfect 10-0 atop the conference standings. When they left they were firmly entrenched in second place as the Greyhounds once again assumed their rightful spot in the standings. Final score: Assumption 9, Stonehill 0.

Antonio Recalde

The Greyhounds have since rolled past Bryant (8-1), Merrimack (9-0), American International (9-0 and Franklin Pierce (9-0) to clinch their eighth-straight regular-season championship. The team has won an incredible 97 of 99 points played in the conference this year, while last year they won all 99 points --- that's 196 of the last 198 points!

They have now extended their amazing win streak against Northeast-10 Conference competition to 100 consecutive (84-0 regular-season and 16-0 postseason)---the longest win streak in conference history regardless of sport. The Greyhounds have also won 60 straight matches at home and improved their Division II record to 121-17, including 105 by shutout scores over the last eight years.

They will host the conference postseason tournament which they will be an overwhelming favorite and then it's on to the N.C.A.A. regional tournament again. The first match is Wednesday hosting Southern New Hampshire University in the conference quarterfinal at 2 p.m.

Northeast-10 Conference Postseason Tournament

Quarterfinal Matches

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

No. 8 Southern New Hampshire (4-7, 5-7) at No. 1 Assumption (11-0, 13-3), 2

No. 7 Pace (5-6, 6-11) at No. 2 Stonehill (10-1, 14-4), 2

No. 6 Merrimack (6-5, 11-7) at No. 3 Bentley (9-2, 13-8), 2

No. 5 LeMoyne (6-5, 7-7) at No. 4 Bryant (7-3, 7-6), 2

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Semifinal Matches at Assumption College

winner No. 2 vs. No. 7 vs. winner No. 3 vs. No. 6, 10:30 a.m.

winner No. 1 vs. No. 8 vs. winner No. 4 vs. No. 5, 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Championship at Assumption College

winner semifinal matches, 11 a.m.

The architect of all this winning is one of the region's premier tennis personalties, Leominster's JOHN IPPOLITO, four-time Northeast-10 Conference Coach-of-the-Year (2000, 01, 03, 05). In 1996-97 he assumed control of a tennis program that hadn't had a winning season in 20 years and was 2-34 over the previous three years. In 1997 the team finished jut 2-10 however the following year the .500 level was achieved (8-8). Ippolito's record is currently a glossy 164-40 (.805) . . . and even more amazing 147-22 since 1998 (.875).

Since that time it has been all about winning . . . all about winning without scholarships and with real student-athletes. The 1998-99 team finished as the only undefeated team in the College's history (24-0) and were incredibly enough left out of the N.C.A.A. Division II tournament.

Since that time the team has seven straight N.C.A.A. regional appearances, winning the 2002 event on their own courts, and dominated the sport in the Northeast-10 Conference.

Over that span the Greyhounds have dominated the conference all-stars . . . six Northeast-10 Conference Players-of-the-Year (Ryan Richert, 1999; Sean Kenney, 2000, 01, 02, 03) and Michael Goldman (2005). Five Greyhounds have earned Freshman-of-the-Year honors (Sean Kenney, 2000; Alex Madrigal, 2001; Michael Goldman, 2003; Dave Marshall, 2004 and Antonio Recalde, 2005).

The match against Stonehill College was highlighted by the long battle at No. 1 doubles where senior captain MICHAEL GOLDMAN (Worcester, MA/Doherty) (12-3/9-4) and freshman JARED DORFMAN (Providence, RI/LaSalle) (12-3/9-4) squeaked past Stonehill's John McGaffigan and Michael Pelaggi. An overhand net slam by Dorfman sealed a 9-7 tiebreaker victory in a 9-8 win for the Hounds.

Goldman then cruised at No. 1 doubles employing a devastating baseline game to a convincing 6-0, 6-2 win over Stonehill's Matthew Grabala. The singles win improved Goldman's career mark to 46-8 (now 50-8), eighth-best in Greyhounds' history.

Junior captain MATT STOPP (Altoona, PA/Altoona) won easily at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-0, over McGaffigan to register his 40th career win, only the 11th player in Hounds' history to reach that plateau.

Stopp and his partner, sophomore ANTONIO RECALDE (Ciudad des Este, Paraguay/San Isador Labrador), remained undefeated at No. 2 doubles with an 8-5 win over Grabala and Jason Allegretti. Grabala and Allegretti had entered the match with an 8-0 conference record.

In the No. 3 doubles match Hounds freshman STEVE TLUMACKI (Holliston, MA/Holliston) and sophomore RICH LEIBERMAN (East Haddam, CT/Nathan Hale Ray) defeated previously NE-10 unbeaten Andy DeVita and William Herchel, 8-5.

Three days later against American International College Goldman registered his first career "golden set." The Hounds senior captain won all six points of his second set by 40-0.

Goldman is now 50-8 in singles (eighth place) and 55-10 in doubles (sixth place) in his career as he takes a special place in Hounds' all-time annals, while Stopp is 42-4 and 44-2 (both 11th) with a year to play.

Stayed tuned.