MATCH INFORMATION
Match No. 5
Daemen Wildcats (3-1, 0-0 ECC) vs. Hillsdale Chargers (1-0, 0-0 GMAC)
Friday, Feb. 9 | 4:30 PM | Hillsdale, Mich. | Margot V. Biermann Center
Match No. 6
Daemen Wildcats (3-1, 0-0 ECC) vs. Alma Scots (2-0, 0-0 MIAA)
Saturday, Feb. 10 | 11:30 AM | East Lansing, Mich. | MSU Tennis Center
MATCH LINKS
Game Day vs. Hillsdale
Game Day vs. Alma
THE SERVE
The Daemen men's tennis team opens the spring portion of its 2017-18 season with a pair of non-conference road matches this weekend, visiting Hillsdale and Alma. Friday's match against Hillsdale will mark the third straight season that the Wildcats and Chargers have met, while Saturday's match against Division III Alma is the first-ever meeting between the two. Daemen posted a 3-1 mark in their short fall season, and have been idle since a 9-0 shutout victory over Houghton on Oct. 5.
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 (38), now has a combined 64 wins in his career.
HILLSDALE SCOUTING REPORT
Hillsdale is a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and the Chargers are led by head coach Keith Turner who is now in his third season at the helm. The Hillsdale program was rebooted in 2015-16 after more than a decade's absence. The Chargers return eight players from their 2016-17 team which went 13-10 overall and 5-4 in GMAC play. The Chargers, then a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, advanced to the GLIAC Tournament semifinals last season before bowing out with a 5-1 loss to Ferris State. The Chargers played just one match last fall, defeating Indiana Tech 8-1.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Hillsdale: 0-2
Streak: Lost 2
Last Meeting: Hillsdale 7, Daemen 2 | Feb. 19, 2017 | Erie, Pa.
ALMA SCOUTING REPORT
Alma is a member of NCAA Division III and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Scots are led by head coach Chris Sandro who is in his 12th season at the helm. The Scots return 11 players from their 2016-17 team which achieved an overall record of 6-11 and an MIAA mark of 2-5. Senior Noah Ackerman leads the returners after posting team-highs of nine singles and eight doubles wins last season. The Scots opened their season with a pair of road wins last weekend, defeating Holy Cross (Ind.) 6-3 and Albion 5-4.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Alma: 0-0
Streak: N/A
Last Meeting: N/A
ON THE HORIZON
Daemen returns to non-conference action by visiting Mercyhurst on Saturday, Feb. 17.
