Men's Tennis Clinches Northeast-10 Regular-Season Title for Eighth Straight Year

April 13, 2006

GREYHOUNDS HAVE NOW WON 99 STRAIGHT MATCHES

IN NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE PLAY

WORCESTER, Mass. --- Assumption College moved into first place in the Northeast-10 Conference standings in convincing fashion here Monday. The Greyhounds, the now eight-time defending conference men's tennis champion, rolled past previously undefeated Stonehill College, 9-0.

The Skyhawks (14-3 overall, 10-1 conference), ranked third in the most recent N.C.A.A. Division II regional poll, were no match for the eighth-ranked Greyhounds (9-3 overall, 7-0 conference).

Since then the Greyhounds have defeated Bryant (8-1), Merrimack (9-0) and American International (9-0) to clinch their eighth-straight Northeast-10 Conference regular-season championship.

Assumption College has now won an amazing 99 consecutive matches against Northeast-10 Conference opponents (83-0 in the regular-season, 16-0 postseason) since 1998-99---the longest win streak in the conference's history regardless of sport! The Greyhounds also won for the 60th consecutive time at home and improved their Division II record to 120-17, including 104 by shutout scores, over the last eight years.

The Greyhounds will go for No. 100 Monday when they travel to Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, NH for a 3:30 match.

The match against Stonehill College was highlighted by the long battle at No. 1 doubles where senior captain MICHAEL GOLDMAN (Worcester, MA/Doherty) and freshman JARED DORFMAN (Providence, RI/LaSalle) squeaked past Stonehill's JOHN MC GAFFIGAN (So., Dedham, MA/Dedham) and MICHAEL PELAGGI (Sr., Dedham, MA/Dedham). 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 junior MATTHEW GRABALA (Bristol, CT/Kingswood-Oxford). The singles win improved Goldman's career mark to 46-8, eighth-best in Greyhounds' history.

Junior captain MATT STOPP (Altoona, PA/Altoona) (PICTURED RIGHT)won easily at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-0, over McGaffigan to register his 40th career win (40-4), 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 (6-0) at No. 2 doubles with an 8-5 win over Grabala and JASON ALLEGRETTI (Fr., Lincoln, RI/Lincoln). 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 (6-0) ANDY DE VITA (Jr., Milford, MA/Milford) and WILLIAM HERCHEL (Fr., Hampden, MA/Minnechaug), 8-5.

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.