MATCH INFORMATION
Match No. 7
Daemen Wildcats (4-2, 0-0 ECC) vs. Mercyhurst Lakers (1-0, 0-0 PSAC)
Saturday, Feb. 17 | 12 PM | Erie, Pa. | Pennbriar Tennis Center
MATCH LINKS
Game Day
THE SERVE
The Daemen men's tennis team returns to non-conference action Saturday when taking on Mercyhurst. The Wildcats are coming off a split of two matches last weekend when they fell to Hillsdale (8-1) and defeated Alma (9-0). Junior Ricardo Ruiz Martinez paced the Wildcats on the trip, going a combined 3-1 between singles and doubles play. The Wildcats will be seeking their first-ever win over Mercyhurst, the defending PSAC champions.
THE COACH
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.
THE RETURNERS
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.
THE NEWCOMERS
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 an 8-1 defeat of RIT on Sept. 27, senior Mark Veitengruber surpassed Gregory Lowe's program-record for combined singles and doubles wins (62). Veitengruber, already the program's all-time leader in singles wins (39), now has a combined 66 wins in his career.
MERCYHURST SCOUTING REPORT
Mercyhurst is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and the Lakers are led by veteran head coach Jerome Simon who is now in his seventh season at the helm. After inheriting a team that went 6-15 in the year prior to him taking over, and enduring a 1-13 season in his first year, Simon has built the Lakers into a perennial contender in the PSAC and Atlantic Region with three consecutive seasons of at least 11 victories. Senior Nenad Terzic and sophomore Cormac McCooey return after leading the Lakers to their first-ever PSAC championship last season. Terzic is a three-time first team All-PSAC selection; he posted a combined (singles and doubles) 45 wins last season. McCooey also earned first team All-PSAC honors after going 18-9 in singles play and 17-11 in doubles action. Saturday's match vs. Daemen marks Mercyhurst's first action since the PSAC Individual Tournament in early October, and their first dual match since an 8-1 win over Division III Allegheny on Sept. 6.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Mercyhurst: 0-5
Streak: Lost 5
Last Meeting: Mercyhurst 8, Daemen 1 | Feb. 5, 2017 | Williamsville, N.Y.
ON THE HORIZON
Daemen plays its first home match of the spring next Tuesday, Feb. 20 with Division I Niagara visiting Miller Tennis Center for a 3:30 p.m. dual.
