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MAY 1, 2005
BOB ZIADIE
KING'S PORTONOVA WINS MAC SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP TO FINISH 24-0
BETHLEHEM -- King's College tennis Mike Portonova (Hazleton/Bishop Hafey) concluded a brilliant season in outstanding fashion as the Monarch freshman won the Middle Atlantic Conference Singles Championships Sunday at Lehigh University.
Portonova went 3-0 at the event and became the first King's tennis player to complete an undefeated season. Portonova concluded his rookie year with a perfect 24-0 record and dropped just one set all season long. Since a season-opening 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Matt Garner of NAIA Division I Aquinas, Portonova won 23 straight matches without dropping a set and closed out the season by winning an astounding 47 straight sets.
After advancing to the number-one flight semi-finals Saturday evening with an 8-1 triumph over John Stanley of Messiah, the top-seeded Portonova reached the finals on Sunday morning with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over fourth-seeded Jeremy Speicher of Albright.
In the championship match, Portonova defeated Wilkes senior standout and second-seeded Hassan Shah 6-2, 5-3 (retired) to become just the second MAC singles champion in King's history and the first since Vlad Handl won the title in 2000.
In doubles, top-seeded Portonova and Nick Hojsack fell short of reaching the finals, falling in the semi-finals to fourth-seeded Michael Almazan and Bill Neal of DeSales.
Portonova was subsequently named the Freedom Conference "Player of the Year" while Hojsack was named the "Rookie of the Year".
King's also had its team of Matt Dunne and Eric Mazza reach the number-three doubles flight finals where the Monarch duo dropped an 8-4 verdict to Jonathan Pivor and Vikran Rao of Drew University to finish second.
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Questions or comments to: Bob Ziadie, King's College Sports Information Director
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