THE BASICS:
-Score: Assumption 9, American Int'l 0
-Records: Assumption (5-7, 4-4 NE-10); American Int'l (0-11, 0-9 NE-10)
-Location: Springfield, Mass.
-The Lead: The Assumption College men's tennis team posted a 9-0 shutout on Wednesday afternoon over American Int'l in Springfield, Mass. The shutout marks the first for the Hounds this season as they look to complete the regular season in the top six in the Northeast-10 Conference to earn an NE-10 Tournament berth.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
-Assumption swept all three doubles matches to take a 3-0 lead heading into singles competition. Junior Tom Knight (Wilbraham, Mass. / Minnechaug Regional) and junior Mike Giampietro (Phoenixville, Pa. / Devon Preparatory School) took the No. 3 match first by a score of 8-1 followed by junior Chris Waung (Bolton, Conn. / East Catholic) and sophomore Ryan Foster's (Bloomfield, Conn. / Classical Magnet) win at No. 1, 8-3.
-Freshman Reb Mariano (New London, Conn. / Saint Andrew's School) and junior Casey Hodor (North Kingstown, R.I. / Bishop Hendricken) claimed the final doubles victory by a score of 8-2.
-In singles competition, the matches finished in reverse-numerical order. Giampietro finished first with a clean sweep over Patrick Agit at No. 6, followed by Knight's 6-0, 6-0 shutout over Michael Schultze at No. 5 to clinch the victory.
-Hodor claimed a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 4 followed by Mariano's straight-set victory at No. 3, 6-0, 6-2.
-The No. 1 and No. 2 matches each went to three sets. Foster won the first 6-3 before falling 7-6 in set two. He won the third 10-4 to make the score 8-0.
-At No. 1 singles, Waung earned the victory in set one 7-6 before falling 6-2 in set two. He took the third 10-5 for the win.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE:
-The win marks the Hounds' first victory on the road this season.
-Foster continues to boast the best record on the Hound squad. He is 10-2 on the season at No. 2 singles and 5-2 in the NE-10.
-Waung is also 5-2 in conference play.
-Only two duos remain undefeated in league play. Junior Marco Leung (Macao / The International School of Macao) and Waung are 2-0 at No. 1 doubles while Foster and Mariano are also 2-0 at No. 2 doubles.
UP NEXT:
-The Hounds have only two regular-season contests left and are currently ranked seventh in the league - the top six squads advance to the NE-10 Tournament. Assumption will travel to Merrimack on Friday, April 22, and will take on the 7-1 Warriors at 2 p.m.
STAY CONNECTED:
-For the latest on Assumption College Athletics, follow the Hounds via social media on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. For more information, contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 508-767-7240.
-Fans can also sign up for email updates and text message alerts for the men's tennis team and all of the other 23 Assumption varsity sports by clicking here.
