MOUNT ST. MARY'S MEN'S TENNIS (10-9, 1-2 NEC)
Saturday, April 12 | 3 p.m. | Teaneck, N.J.
at Fairleigh Dickinson (2-8, 1-1 NEC)
Sunday, April 13 | 11 a.m. | Jersey City, N.J.
at Saint Peter's (7-8, 2-4 MAAC)
MOUNT UPDATE: The Mountaineers wrap up regular season action with a pair of road matches in New Jersey at Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday and Saint Peter's on Sunday. Sitting with a 1-2 conference record, Saturday's match versus FDU will be crucial in where the Mount will be seeded for next week's NEC Tournament. In Wednesday's 4-1 win at Loyola, the No. 3 doubles team of Mike Zabetakis and Austin Blake improved their record to 13-3 on the year with an 8-3 victory.
LAST TIME OUT: The Mount posted a 4-1 win over Loyola on April 9 by winning the doubles point and three singles matches. Austin Blake and Mike Zabetakis won their doubles and singles matches on the day for the Mount, which reached the 10-win mark for the fifth time in the last 10 seasons. At the No. 1 singles slot, Adam Salam was a winner in three sets, while Blake (No. 2) and Zabetakis (No. 5) won in straight sets.
ABOUT FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON: The two-time defending Northeast Conference champion Knights have won two of their last three matches after kicking off the spring with seven-consecutive losses. On April 9, FDU defeated Saint Peter's, 6-1, at home. Arvis Berzins has carried the Knights at the No. 1 singles position with a 14-5 overall record with seven wins in his last eight matches.
ABOUT SAINT PETER'S: The Peacocks hold a 7-8 record on the season, falling in four of their last five matches. Against NEC opponents, Saint Peter's is 2-1 with wins over Wagner and Saint Francis Brooklyn. In their last match, the Peacocks lost to FDU, 6-1, with Tom Jottrand picking up the lone victory at No. 2 singles.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. WEEKEND OPPONENTS: The Mount won the first meeting with FDU in 1991, but has lost four in a row to the Knights. The last time the two sides squared off, FDU handed the Mount a 4-0 loss in the Northeast Conference Semifinals in 2012. In the Mount's only matchup with Saint Peter's, the Mount was a 6-1 winner in a neutral site match on March 9, 2006.
NEC PRESEASON POLL: The Mount was selected to finish third in the annual NEC preseason coaches poll. Bryant received six first-place votes to earn the top spot, followed by FDU in second with two votes. Mount St. Mary's was followed by Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U, Robert Morris, St. Francis Brooklyn and Wagner.
AWARD WINNERS: On April 1, the Northeast Conference announced the Mount men's tennis team had swept the weekly awards with Austin Blake earning Player of the Week and Darren Mast earning Rookie of the Week. Blake and Mast both won their doubles and singles matches on March 27 versus Bucknell. Mast is the second Mount player to earn Rookie of the Week this season, joining Mateo DeSomocurcio, who took home the honor on March 20.
UP NEXT: The Mount makes the trip to West Windsor, N.J. for the NEC Tournament scheduled for April 17-19.
