MATCH INFORMATION
Match #4
Daemen Wildcats (0-3, 0-0 ECC) vs. Edinboro Fighting Scots (2-0, 0-0 PSAC)
Friday, Feb. 15 | 5 PM | Erie, Pa. | Westwood Racquet Club
Match #5
Daemen Wildcats (0-3, 0-0 ECC) vs. Walsh Cavaliers (0-5, 0-0 GMAC)
Saturday, Feb. 16 | 4 PM | North Canton, Ohio | North Canton Racquet Club
THE SERVE
Daemen hits the road for a pair of dual matches this weekend. The Wildcats will face Edinboro and Walsh. Daemen engaged in tight contests against both opponents last season, falling to Edinboro 6-3 and to Walsh 5-4. The Wildcats are coming off a 7-0 loss to defending Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and NCAA Division II Atlantic Region champion Mercyhurst in their spring season opener last weekend.
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.
REPEAT RUIZ
Ricardo Ruiz Martinez enters his senior campaign as one of the most accomplished players in team history. After beginning his career at American International, Ruiz Martinez has earned second team All-ECC honors in each of the last two seasons since transferring to Daemen; he is the only player in team history to have earned all-conference accolades. The Valencia, Spain native established new program records for singles wins (17) and singles winning percentage (.654) last season. For his career, Ruiz Martinez ranks among Daemen's all-time leaders in combined wins (51 - 5th) and singles wins (28 - 3rd).
IMPRESSING @ ITA'S
Daemen opened the 2018-19 season by putting together the program's best-ever showing at the ITA East Region Championship held earlier this month at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The prestigious tournament brings together teams from across the NCAA Division II East Region for a weekend-long tournament. Seniors Ricardo Ruiz Martinez and David Gonzalez Villegas teamed up to advance into the quarterfinals of the doubles draw, posting a 3-1 record to do so. The Wildcats also got doubles wins from the pairs of Jose Williamson III / Fabian Wilde and Patrick O'Brien / James Schaab-Rozbicki. In singles play, both Ruiz Martinez and Wilde advanced out of the qualifying draw and into the main singles draw. Schaab-Rozbicki and O'Brien also earned singles wins in the tournament.
NEW BENCHMARK
With three doubles wins at the ITA East Region Championship, senior David Gonzalez Villegas established a new program record for career doubles wins. The Pereira, Colombia native, who opened the season with 31 doubles wins to his name, surpassed the 33-win record established by his former teammates, John LeMar and Mark Veitengruber. Gonzalez Villegas also ranks fourth in team history with 52 combined singles and doubles wins in his career.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Sophomore Jose Williamson III made an immediate impact last season for the Wildcats, racking up a program record 13 doubles wins. The Minneapolis native edged teammates David Gonzalez Villegas and Ricardo Ruiz Martinez who each totaled 12 doubles wins last season. Gonzalez Villegas has reached 12 doubles wins twice in his career.
ROAD WARRIORS
Daemen will spend some significant time on the road this spring as 17 of their 20 matches occur away from home. Daemen will play nine straight road matches to open the spring season. They'll finally get a home match under their belt March 23 when Millersville visits for a non-conference meeting.
EDINBORO SCOUTING REPORT
Edinboro is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and the Fighting Scots are led by alumnus Kody Duncan who is in his second season as head coach. In his first season at the helm, Duncan led the Fighting Scots to their sixth consecutive appearance in the PSAC Championship finals, and they finished with a 10-10 overall record and a 4-1 mark in PSAC play. The Fighting Scots have made five straight NCAA tournament berths, and they return five players from their 2017-18 roster. Senior Kevin Mboko headlines the team's returners after posting a 14-8 singles record last season. Also back are seniors Mateus Santos and Mauricio Santos who were ranked as the No. 6 doubles pairing in the Oracle/ITA Atlantic Region rankings released last fall. As a team, Edinboro is ranked fifth in the Oracle/ITA Atlantic Region poll released last month. The Fighting Scots are 2-0 so far this season, and they are coming off a 6-1 win over Division I Niagara last weekend.
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. EDINBORO
Series Record: 0-5
Streak: Lost 5
Last Meeting: Daemen 6, Edinboro 3 | Feb. 25, 2018 | Erie, Pa.
WALSH SCOUTING REPORT
Walsh is a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, and the Cavaliers are led by veteran head coach Bryan Whittaker. Now in his seventh season at the helm, Whittaker has led the Cavaliers to a 59-84 record to date. Walsh finished 10-13 overall and 4-4 in GMAC play last season, and they made a run to the GMAC Championship finals. The team's 2018-19 roster features six returning players as well as six freshmen, and they were picked fourth out of seven teams in the GMAC preseason poll. The Cavaliers are still searching for their first win of the season. They are coming off a 6-1 loss to Ashland this past Sunday.
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. WALSH
Series Record: 0-2
Streak: Lost 2
Last Meeting: Walsh 5, Daemen 4 | Sept. 30, 2017 | Amherst, N.Y.
ON THE HORIZON
A one-match week is on the horizon as the Wildcats trek to Syracuse on Saturday, Feb. 23 for their annual meeting with Le Moyne.
