MOUNT ST. MARY'S (9-5) at GEORGE MASON (8-9)
Sunday, April 12, 2015 | 1 p.m.
Mason Tennis Facility | Fairfax, Va.
MOUNT UPDATE: After having its match against Loyola moved back to April 14 due to rain, the Mount St. Mary's University men's tennis team will travel to George Mason on Sunday. The Mountaineers are just two dual matches away from the start of the Northeast Conference Tournament on April 17-19.
Sophomore Mateo DeSomocurcio continues to lead the team with 16 singles victories, while teammate Darren Mast has tallied 11. The doubles pairing of Austin Blake and Brandon Wortkotter boasts a team-high 13 wins and a .812 winning percentage during the 2014-15 season.
LAST TIME OUT: The Mount dropped a 6-1 decision against Saint Francis for its first NEC loss of the season on April 2. Mateo DeSomocurcio secured the team's lone point of the day, defeating Rodrigo Tico at the No. 2 singles spot, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 10-2. The Red Flash won the doubles point along with the other five singles matches.
ABOUT GEORGE MASON: The Patriots (8-9) are riding a three-match winning streak entering today's match at Richmond. The team bested La Salle last Saturday with a 7-0 shutout performance. The doubles pairings of Lange/Hill and Baine/Gutierrez won at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots respectively, while No. 1 singles player Aaron Capitel won to help the Patriots complete the sweep. The team won the No. 3 doubles spots, as well as the No. 5 and No. 6 singles spots, by default.
ALL TIME SERIES VS. PATRIOTS: The Mount has gone 6-21 against George Mason dating back to the teams' first meeting at the Division I level in 1988. The two sides last faced each other in 2013 in Emmitsburg, where the Patriots won by a 4-3 margin. The Mountaineers have dropped three in a row to the Patriots, their last win in the series coming in 2010.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Mateo DeSomocurcio needs just one more singles win in order to become the fifth player in team history to amass 17 singles wins in a season. Meanwhile, Blake/Wortkotter are chasing their 15th doubles victory in a singles season, which would tie the single season mark set by teammate Adam Salam and former Mountaineer Mike Salomon two seasons ago.
NEC PRESEASON POLL: Mount St. Mary's was selected sixth in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll. Bryant received six of the first-place votes to be chosen to repeat as NEC Champions. FDU garnered the other top vote and finished second in the poll. Saint Francis U, Wagner and Sacred Heart checked in at 3-4-5, while the Mount was selected one spot ahead of St. Francis Brooklyn.
UP NEXT: The Mount takes on Loyola at home on Tuesday, April 14, at 3:30 p.m. at the Mount Tennis Courts for the regular season finale.
--Mount St. Mary's University Athletics--
