GAME INFORMATION
Daemen Wildcats (2-1, 0-0 ECC) vs. Houghton College (0-0, 0-0 Empire 8)
Thursday, Oct. 5 | 5 p.m. | Amherst, N.Y. | Ellicott Tennis Courts
GAME LINKS
Game Day
BEATTY'S BACK
Stephen Beatty returns for his fifth season as the head coach of the Wildcats...over the course of his first four seasons, Beatty has guided the Daemen men's tennis team to a 25-67 record...a former collegiate player at Division II Northwood University (Mich.) and Division III D'Youville College, Beatty got his coaching start as an assistant to Kelly Brown, serving for one season--Daemen's inaugural season of tennis competition--before being promoted to the top post.
RETURNING WILDCATS
The Wildcats return the core of their 2016-17 team which went 6-18 overall and 0-5 in ECC play. Gone however is John LeMar who graduated as the program's all-time leader in doubles wins with 33. Leading the Daemen returners is junior Ricardo Ruiz Martinez who made an immediate impact last season after transferring from American International. Ruiz Martinez became the first Daemen player to earn All-ECC accolades after he was named to the league's second-team. Ruiz Martinez posted a 10-7 mark in singles play and an 8-7 mark in doubles play last season. Also back is sophomore Fabian Wilde who tied Ruiz Martinez for the team lead in singles wins, posting a 10-15 mark, and senior Mark Veitengruber who enters his senior season already ranking as the program's all-time leader in singles wins (34). Junior David Gonzalez Villegas also returns after leading the team in doubles wins with 12 last season.
FRESH FACES
Daemen welcomes four true freshmen to the mix, three of whom are expected to contribute immediately. Look for German native Tim Georg, Mexican native Pablo Martinez Hernandez and Minnesota native Jose Williamson III to be in the lineup early and often.
GEORG STARTS FAST
Freshman Tim Georg got his collegiate career off to a fast start by winning his singles draw at the Daemen Invitational Tournament which was held Sept. 15-17. Georg went 3-0 at the tournament, and picked up a pair of victories against Division I players in the process. First, Georg knocked off Colgate's Tyler Krantz in the semifinal round (4-6, 6-2, 1-0), and he followed with a 6-4, 6-1 defeat of Niagara's Josh Wilson.
VEITENGRUBER SETS CAREER WINS MARK
With wins in both singles and doubles during Wednesday's 8-1 defeat of RIT, senior Mark Veitengruber surpassed Gregory Lowe's program-record for combined wins (62). Veitengruber, already the program's all-time leader in singles wins (38), now has a combined 64 wins in his career.
WILDCATS SPLIT WEEKEND MATCHES
Daemen split matches last weekend, dropping a gut-wrenching 5-4 loss to Walsh on Saturday but the Wildcats bounced back on Sunday with a 9-0 shutout over Division III member Oswego State. Juniors David Gonzalez Villegas and Ricardo Ruiz Martinez teamed up to post an 8-4 win at No. 2 doubles, the only doubles win of the day for Daemen. Walsh held a 3-1 advantage into singles play after freshman Tim George was defeated at No. 1 singles by a score of 6-4, 6-2, but the Wildcats responded with wins at No. 2, No. 3 singles and No. 4 singles to take the 4-3 lead. Ruiz Martinez posted a 6-3, 7-5 win over Wagner at No. 2 was a 7-5, 6-2 winner over Garcia at No. 3 and Veitengruber dispatched Kulynych 6-1, 6-4 at No. 4. However Walsh tied the match 4-4 and the Cavaliers secured the win after freshman Guilherme Cameiro defeated Martinez Hernandez 6-4, 6-0 at No. 6 singles. On Sunday, Daemen rebounded with a 9-0 sweep over the Lakers. Freshmen Tim George picked up his first career win at No. 1 singles, while junior Ricardo Ruiz Martinez improved to 2-0 on the year at No. 2 singles. Mark Veitengruber improved to 6-2 overall in singles action after a 6-1, 6-0 win over junior Justin Scuderi at No. 3 singles. Also picking up singles wins for the Wildcats were Fabian Wilde, Pablo Martinez Hernandez and Jose Williamson III. Williamson and WIlde teamed up for the first time this year at No. 1 doubles and rolled to an 8-0 win over Jon Matros and Justin Scuderi. Rounding out the doubles wins for the Wildcats were the duos of Ruiz Martinez and classmate David Gonzalez Villegas as well as Martinez Hernandez and Veitengruber. The Wildcats are looking to end the fall with a winning record for the first time since the 2014-2015 season.
HOUGHTON SCOUTING REPORT
Daemen concludes its short fall season with a dual-match vs. Division III member Houghton. Daemen is 21-10 all-time against NCAA Division III opponents, including a perfect 4-0 against Houghton. Tomorrow's meeting marks the fifth-straight season that the Wildcats and Highlanders have met. Houghton, which went 12-6 overall and 5-3 in the Empire 8 conference last season, will me making their 2017-2018 season debut against Daemen. Senior Jordan Crouch returns for the Highlanders this year after leading the team in singles with a 10-6 record last season. Also back is sophomore Jake Fisler and junior Zach Shilvock, the pair tallied nine and eight single wins respectively in 2016-2017. Houghton is led by Charlie Ellie, who has been both the men's and women's head coach since 2013.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Houghton: 4-0
Streak: Won 4
Last Meeting: Daemen 7, Houghton 2 | Oct. 8, 2016 | Houghton, N.Y.
