MATCH INFORMATION
Match No. 18
Daemen Wildcats (5-12, 0-2 ECC) vs. Franklin Pierce Ravens (6-7, 3-1 NE-10)
Friday, Mar. 30 | 6 PM | Rindge, N.H. | Grimshaw-Gudewicz Activity Center

Match No. 19
Daemen Wildcats (5-12, 0-2 ECC) vs. Southern New Hampshire Penmen (6-6, 5-0 NE-10)
Saturday, Mar. 31 | 1 PM | Manchester, N.H. | SNHU Tennis Courts

THE SERVE
The Daemen men's tennis team returns to non-conference play this weekend with back-to-back contests against Northeast-10 Conference affiliates Franklin Pierce and Southern New Hampshire. The Wildcats are coming off an 8-1 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas last Saturday. This weekend's matches mark the conclusion to a string of 10 straight away from home for the Wildcats.

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 (46), now has a combined 77 wins in his career.

RUIZ MARTINEZ TIES SINGLE SEASON WINS MARK
With a three-set win (1-6, 6-3, 6-4) over St. Thomas Aquinas' Jakob Ljungberg last Saturday, Ricardo Ruiz Martinez notched his 13th win of the season in singles play, matching the program record for a single season established by Mark Veitengruber during the 2015-16 season.

MORE RECORD CHASERS
Veterans Mark Veitengruber, Ricardo Ruiz Martinez and David Gonzalez Villegas are all closing in on team records...

• Veitengruber has 12 singles wins this season, just one shy of matching his own team record for wins in a single season (13) which he set as a sophomore (2015-16 season)
• Veitengruber's 31 career doubles wins places him just two shy of the mark (33) set by John LeMar from 2013-17
• Ruiz Martinez and Gonzalez Villegas each have 10 doubles wins this season, two shy of the latter's team record for wins in a single season (12) which he set last year

FRANKLIN PIERCE SCOUTING REPORT
Franklin Pierce is led by second-year head coach Peter Arsenault, and the Ravens were picked sixth in the NE-10 preseason poll. The Ravens return five players from their 2016-17 team which went 4-13 overall and 3-6 in league play. Among the returners is sophomore Matthew Toombs, a California native who earned third team All-NE-10 honors last season. FPU is off to a 6-7 start this season, including a 3-1 mark in league play, but they've suffered losses in four straight and five of their last six contests. Freshman Roberto Chong leads the team with an 8-5 record in singles play; six of those wins have come while appearing in the top singles position in FPU's lineup. In doubles play, James Bisazza and Andrew Schadt have been the Ravens' best pair, compiling a 7-4 record so far this season.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Franklin Pierce: 0-0
Streak: N/A
Last Meeting: N/A

SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE SCOUTING REPORT
SNHU is led by head coach Greg Coache who is now in his ninth season at the helm. In that time, Coache has guided the Penmen to six NCAA Tournament appearances, and he has his team coming off back-to-back NE-10 Conference championships. Picked first in the NE-10 preseason poll again this year, the Penmen return six players from last season's 16-7 team, including senior Tiago Fernandes, the reigning NE-10 Player of the Year. Ricardo Marreiros and Xavier Aubron, both first team All-NE-10 honorees last season, also return. SNHU has posted a 6-6 record thus far, including an unblemished 5-0 mark in NE-10 play. The Penmen snapped a four-match slide with an 8-1 defeat of Adelphi on March 22, and have since added a 9-0 shutout of Stonehill (March 24). Fernandes has posted a 13-6 singles record thus far, and he shares the team lead for singles wins with sophomore Bas van Biezen who has lost just twice in 15 singles matches. Aubron and van Biezen have teamed up to go 14-5 in doubles play as well.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Southern New Hampshire: 0-0
Streak: N/A
Last Meeting: N/A

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen returns to East Coast Conference play by hosting rival Roberts Wesleyan on Tuesday, April 3 at Miller Tennis Center.