July 18, 2012

EMMITSBURG, Md. – Any win in the postseason could be considered a big win, but when you knock off the defending champion the win becomes even sweeter. The Mount St. Mary's men's tennis team defeated Sacred Heart 4-2 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Quarterfinals to serve up our No. 10 Moment in our Top-20 Countdown.

Looking for the squad's first NEC Semifinal appearance since 2006, the Mount had the daunting task of facing the defending league champion Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals on Apr. 20. The scene was described as a great atmosphere for tennis with the fans and players getting into each point throughout the matches.

The squad got off to a fast start by winning the doubles point after Matthew Blake (Garnet Valley, Pa./Salesianum [Del.])and Taylor Place (Snellville, Ga./St. Pius X) cruised to an 8-3 win at No. 1 doubles and Mike Zabetakis (Finksburg, Md./Calvert Hall) and Patrick McGinley (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) won 8-6 at No. 3 doubles to clinch the doubles point.

Mike Salomon (Haymarket, Va./Seton School) won in straight sets at No. 4 singles 6-3, 6-3. Place also won in straight sets after winning a second-set tiebreaker to take his No. 5 singles match 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). Blake rallied for a three-set victory after dropping the first set. The junior won at No. 1 singles 4-6, 6-2 and 6-4 to help give the Mountaineers the 4-2 victory against the Pioneers.

The Mount would fall to Fairleigh Dickinson in the semifinals, but the team will have high hopes going into next season with all six singles players returning for 2012.

Salomon was named to the All-NEC second team and was selected as the NEC Men's Tennis Scholar-Athlete. He paced all NEC competitors with 24 singles victories and his .828 win percentage was tops among those with 10 or more decisions.  Salomon was a perfect 5-0 against league rivals and 14-3 in No. 4 flight dual match competition.  The 24 singles victories rank fourth on the Mount's single-season list and Salomon's 55 wins heading into his senior year are the second most in program history.

On the women's side, Mount St. Mary's finished the year 11-8 and defeated Monmouth 5-0 in the NEC Consolation.

Remember to go to the Mount's Facebook and Twitter pages and talk with your fellow Mount Remember that you can discuss the Top-20 Countdown with your fellow Mount fans at Facebook or Twitter pages. If you are not a fan or a follower, now is the time to start and get all the news on Mount Athletics from your favorite social media outlet.

Remember to come back on Monday to see the No. 9 Moment in our countdown.

Schedule Of Release For The 2011-12 Top-20 Moments Countdown
No. 20: One Ring Rules Them All - Men's Basketball Celebrates 50th Anniversary of 1961-62 National Championship
No. 19: Women's Soccer Stuns Eventual NEC Tournament Champions LIU In League Opener
No. 18: Mann Steals Top-Moment No. 18 With New Steals Mark Against Fairleigh Dickinson
No. 17: No Hung Juhring – Juhring Makes Mark In Javelin In Her First Season
No. 16: Healy Hammers Two-Run Walk-off Homer Against Georgetown
No. 15: Bernard Finishes Cross Country Career With Fourth-Straight All-NEC Selection
No. 14: Men's Basketball Nearly Pulls Off Upset Against Maryland
No. 13: Men's Lacrosse - What A Way To Open The Season?
No. 12: Four Seed Works For Women's Lacrosse To Get Back To NEC Championship Game
No. 11: Running Down A Dream – Gibilisco Completes In NCAA East Preliminary For Second-Straight Year
No. 10: Men's Tennis Serves Up Win Against Sacred Heart In NEC Quarterfinals
No. 9: Monday, July 23, 2012
No. 8: Wednesday, July 25, 2012
No. 7: Friday, July 27, 2012
No. 6: Monday, July 30, 2012
No. 5: Wednesday, August 1, 2012
No. 4: Friday, August 3, 2012
No. 3: Monday, August 6, 2012
No. 2: Wednesday, August 8, 2012
No. 1: Friday, August 10, 2012