September 24, 2010

Mount St. Mary's (1-0) vs. LaSalle (3-0)
Sunday, September 26, 11:00 a.m.
Emmitsburg, Md. * MSM Tennis Courts

Mount Update: The Mount defeated Shepherd, 7-2, on Tuesday to move to 1-0 on the season. The Mount won five of the six singles matches and two of three doubles tilts to earn the victory. So far this season, Andrew Marinucci and Mike Salomon lead the team with 2-1 records in singles play. In doubles action, the pairs of Taylor Place and Salomon and Marinucci and Patrick Plastow are both 2-0.

About LaSalle: LaSalle enters Saturday's match against Philadelphia University with a 3-0 record. The win streak includes a 7-0 victory against Northeast Conference (NEC) member Wagner. George Gennauoi is playing at the No. 1 singles spot for the Explorers.

Last Meeting: Last year's meeting with LaSalle was postponed due to rain. The teams last played on October 9, 2008, with the Mount earning a 5-2 victory. Favio Osorio and Thad Mostowtt rallied to capture a 9-8 win at No. 2 doubles to give the Mount a 1-0 lead in the match. The pair faced four match points before earning the victory. In singles play, the Mount won at each of the first four positions in the lineup to clinch the victory.

The All-Time Series: The Mount holds a 3-0 lead in the all-time series with the Explorers. Mount St. Mary's posted a 7-2 win at LaSalle on March 18, 1989 in the first matchup between the two schools. The Mount defeated the Explorers at home, 6-1, on September 22, 2007 and won 5-2 at LaSalle on October 9, 2008.

About Last Year: The Mount's 12 wins last season were the most by a Mount team since the 2005-06 squad went 13-12. In addition, the Mount had a nine-win improvement from the previous season. Freshmen Matthew Blake and Mike Salomon tied for the team lead with 17 singles wins on the year.

Senior Leadership: Returnees Patrick Plastow and Andrew Marinucci, three-year starters for the Mount, bring a ton of experience to the Mount lineup. Last season, Plastow played at the No. 1 spot while Marinucci was the Mount's No. 4 player. The pair has combined to play 142 career singles matches at the Mount.

Strong Sophomore Class: Sophomores Matthew Blake, Mike Salomon and Taylor Place made are coming off strong rookie seasons with the Mountaineers. The trio combined to go 48-22 in singles action last year. Salomon played at No. 2 singles, posting a 17-9 record on the year. Blake went 17-3 on the season as the Mount's No. 6 player while Place was 14-10 overall while playing at the No. 5 spot in the order.

Record-Setting Doubles Pair: Sophomore Taylor Place teamed with Thad Mostowtt, who graduated in this past May, to go 19-5 last season in doubles play. The 19 wins set a Mount record for wins by a doubles team. In addition, the 19 individual wins by Place and Mostowtt moved the pair into a tie for first place on the single-season individual doubles wins list.

Up Next: The Mount returns to action when it hosts the two-day Mount St. Mary's Invitational that begins on Saturday, October 2.