MOUNT ST. MARY'S (1-0) at TOWSON (0-0)
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 3 p.m.
Towson Center Tennis Courts, Towson, Md.
MOUNT UPDATE: Mount St. Mary's will look to build on a strong beginning to the fall season with its second dual of the year on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Towson. The Mount still has two more duals on the schedule to conclude the fall portion of the season.
LAST TIME OUT: The Mount came away with a 6-1 win over visiting Shepherd in the first dual of the season on Sept. 25 at the Mount Tennis Courts. The Mountaineers swept the three doubles matches, then took five out of six singles matches to secure an easy victory. Liz Rossi at No. 2 singles, as well as Taylor D'Agostino at No. 4 and Erin Benefiel at No. 5 singles all turned in 6-0, 6-0 wins versus Shepherd.
ABOUT THE TIGERS: Wednesday will be the first dual of the fall for the Tigers, who opened the season with the Tiger Classic and the Navy Tournament in September. Sophie Lesage is a perfect 3-0 through the first two tournaments.
LAST TIME VS. TOWSON: Despite singles victories from Kelly Conroy (No. 2) and Carly Landini (No. 4), the Mount suffered a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Towson on Oct. 4, 2012. The Tigers also took two out of three doubles matches on the afternoon.
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH TOWSON: The Mount is 9-13 versus in-state rival Towson in the all-time series dating back to 1988. The two sides have squared off 14 times since 2001, when the match became an annual fall event. The Tigers have won three in a row and five of the last six in the series.
YEAR-BY-YEAR RESULTS VS. TOWSON (9-13):
10/5/88: W, 9‐0, Away
4/8/91: W, 6‐3, Away
1992: L, 5‐4, Home
4/6/94: W, 4‐1, Home
3/21/95: W, 6‐1, Away
3/25/96: W, 6‐1, Away
4/3/98: L, 7‐0, Away
4/8/99: L, 6‐1, Home
10/22/01: L, 6‐1, Home
9/11/02: L, 7‐0, Away
9/22/03: L, 4‐1, Home
9/21/04: L, 6‐1, Away
9/20/05: L, 5‐2, Home
9/8/06: W, 5‐0, Away
9/26/06: W, 4‐3, Away
9/8/07: W, 4‐1, Away
10/4/07: L, 6‐1, Away
9/23/08: L, 6‐1, Home
9/23/09: W, 4‐3, Away
10/7/10: L, 7‐0, Home
10/6/11: L, 6‐1, Away
10/4/12: L, 5‐2, Away
LEADING THE WAY: A trio of players is tied for the team lead with four singles wins in the early going. Junior Taylor D'Agostino, as well as freshmen Erin Benefiel and Kelly Smith all have four victories to their credit.
COACHING STAFF: Head Coach Phil Hammond is in his 10th season at the helm for the Mount. In his first nine seasons, Hammond has built both the men's and women's programs into perennial contenders in the Northeast Conference. On the women's side, Hammond's coaching record is 118-83, while putting together an 89-103 mark with the men's team. His assistants are sixth-year coach Bill Holloway and the Mount's all-time leader for singles wins, Mike Salomon, who graduated from the Mount in 2013.
UP NEXT: The Mount travels to Philadelphia to face La Salle on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m.
