Second Serve
Joe Mascia
Issue date: 4/8/09 Section: Sports
What a difference a year makes. Just ask men's tennis player Steve Tlumacki. Tlumacki, a senior marketing major from Holliston, MA, was a member of Assumption's men's tennis program his freshman and sophomore year on Salisbury St., after being brought in by then head coach, John Ippolito. During those first two years, Tlumacki and his teammates tore through the Northeast-10, winning the post-season tournament in 2006 and 2007 and compiling a 35-5 record over that time frame.
But with Ippolito announcing his retirement following the 2007 season, Tlumacki knew the ride was coming to an end. As Ippolito left the program, other pieces began to fall as well. Seniors Matt Stopp, Dave Marshall and Dan Doenges graduated that spring, and with Ippolito gone, junior Antonio Recalde, sophomore Jared Dorffman and freshman Tom Nowak decided to leave the school as well. Tlumacki and then senior Rich Lieberman were all that was left of the team.
New head coach Luca DiFilipo was hired in August of 2007 to replace the departed Ippolito, but neither he nor anyone in the Athletic Department knew what lay ahead for the program.
"They didn't know and I didn't know," DiFilipo said. "We sent an email out at the beginning of [fall 2007], but only three guys showed up to the meeting."
Lieberman was one of the three. Tlumacki couldn't make it, but once he heard of the lack of interest, he knew things looked slim for a 2008 season.
"Rich went and he told me, and I was like 'okay there's not going to be a team'," Tlumacki said. "It was Coach's first year and he hadn't gotten the chance to recruit anyone; he didn't know what he was going to be able to work with."
Tlumacki and Lieberman were able to play when the weather was warm enough in the fall and spring, but the senior admits that there was something missing.
"Rich and I got to hit when it was nice out, but the whole winter I didn't get to play," he said. "At first I didn't mind that much because I had played so much tennis over the past few years, but then I kind of got sick of not playing."
But with Ippolito announcing his retirement following the 2007 season, Tlumacki knew the ride was coming to an end. As Ippolito left the program, other pieces began to fall as well. Seniors Matt Stopp, Dave Marshall and Dan Doenges graduated that spring, and with Ippolito gone, junior Antonio Recalde, sophomore Jared Dorffman and freshman Tom Nowak decided to leave the school as well. Tlumacki and then senior Rich Lieberman were all that was left of the team.
New head coach Luca DiFilipo was hired in August of 2007 to replace the departed Ippolito, but neither he nor anyone in the Athletic Department knew what lay ahead for the program.
"They didn't know and I didn't know," DiFilipo said. "We sent an email out at the beginning of [fall 2007], but only three guys showed up to the meeting."
Lieberman was one of the three. Tlumacki couldn't make it, but once he heard of the lack of interest, he knew things looked slim for a 2008 season.
"Rich went and he told me, and I was like 'okay there's not going to be a team'," Tlumacki said. "It was Coach's first year and he hadn't gotten the chance to recruit anyone; he didn't know what he was going to be able to work with."
Tlumacki and Lieberman were able to play when the weather was warm enough in the fall and spring, but the senior admits that there was something missing.
"Rich and I got to hit when it was nice out, but the whole winter I didn't get to play," he said. "At first I didn't mind that much because I had played so much tennis over the past few years, but then I kind of got sick of not playing."
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