MATCH INFORMATION
Match No. 3
Daemen Wildcats (0-2, 0-2 ECC) vs. Seton Hill Griffins (1-0, 0-0 PSAC)
Saturday, Sept. 22 | 1 PM | Greensburg, Pa.
Match No. 4
Daemen Wildcats (0-2, 0-2 ECC) vs. Slippery Rock The Rock (0-0, 0-0 PSAC)
Sunday, Sept. 23 | 12 PM | Slippery Rock, Pa. | SRU Tennis Courts
THE SERVE
After competing in the ITA East Region Championship last weekend, Daemen returns to dual match play with a pair of non-conference road contests vs. Seton Hill and Slippery Rock. The Wildcats are seeking their first victory of the season after opening with losses to Millersville and Roberts Wesleyan.
MCDERMOTT ERA
The 2018-19 season marks the start of a new era for Daemen as head coach Kerry McDermott begins his first season with the program. In early July, McDermott was named the third head coach in team history after spending the last 36 seasons as the head men's tennis coach at the University of Nebraska. In that time, McDermott led the Huskers to 405 victories, the most of any coach in team history, and two NCAA Tournament appearances. His tenure at the Division I school also included one season (1988-89) as the Huskers' head women's tennis coach.
10!
Daemen is coming off a 10-14 record in 2017-18, the program's first-ever 10-win season. The record-setting campaign included eight victories during the fall season, also the most the team has ever achieved, and tying the program record for wins in an entire season which had been done in each of the three previous seasons. An 8-1 win over Clarion on Feb. 23 broke that mark, and the Wildcats went on to add a 6-3 win over Fairmont State on April 7 to break into double figures.
ROCKIN' ROBINS
Senior Jessica Robins returns to the lineup as the team's most experienced and accomplished player. The North Tonawanda, N.Y. native has been a fixture in the lineup over her first three collegiate seasons, and is coming off the strongest season of her career. She posted a career-best 13 singles wins in 2017-18, ranking tied for fourth among the program's all-time single season leaders. Her doubles win in Saturday's loss to Millersville gives her 58 wins for her career (combined singles and doubles), a total which puts her in sole possession of third place in team history. She opened the season with 57 combined wins which placed her in a tie with former teammate Karli Hollins.
SUPER SOPH
Sophomore Christina Stasiuk also returns to the lineup after making an immediate impact in her rookie season. Stasiuk set a new benchmark for singles wins in a season, racking up 18 of them last year. She surpassed the previous record for singles wins by a freshman (13) set by Gretchen Ringler in 2014-15, and later eclipsed the overall record of 14 singles wins set by Hayle Scanlan in 2016-17.
SETON HILL SCOUTING REPORT
Seton Hill is led by head coach Kim Kissell who has led the Griffins to a 34-51 record since taking over prior to the 2013-14 season. The Griffins are members of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and are coming off a 7-9 campaign in 2017-18. Five players return to the mix this season, including juniors Jenna Bailey, Ana Salazar and Kaelyn Zak. The Griffins opened the 2018-19 season with a 9-0 shutout victory over St. Vincent, the fifth straight year that they've started 1-0.
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. SETON HILL
Series Record: 0-1
Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: Seton Hill 6, Daemen 3 | Sept. 11, 2016 | Greensburg, Pa.
SLIPPERY ROCK SCOUTING REPORT
Slippery Rock is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The Rock are led by head coach Matt Meredith, a five-time PSAC Coach of the Year who has racked up 301 wins over 20 seasons at the helm. SRU is coming off a 13-13 campaign in 2017-18, which included a 4-2 mark in PSAC play and a trip to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional. Six players return to the fold for SRU this season, including two-time All-PSAC selection Lacey Cohen who posted a combined (singles and doubles) 35-25 record last season. Sophomore Lauren Fadden also returns after posting a team-high 19 singles wins last season. Sunday's match vs. Daemen marks the first dual match of the season for The Rock who have competed in the Oberlin Invitational and ITA Atlantic Regional Championship tournaments so far this season.
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. SLIPPERY ROCK
Series Record: 0-0
Streak: N/A
Last Meeting: N/A
ON THE HORIZON
Daemen hosts St. Thomas Aquinas in an East Coast Conference dual match on Wednesday, Sept. 26.
