MATCH INFORMATION
Match #6
Daemen Wildcats (0-5, 0-0 ECC) vs. Le Moyne Dolphins (1-1, 1-0 NE-10)
Saturday, Feb. 23 |  4:30 PM  |  DeWitt, N.Y.  |  Elevate Fitness

THE SERVE
Daemen returns to action with a Saturday afternoon dual match vs. regional rival Le Moyne. The Wildcats are coming off a pair of road losses last weekend at Edinboro (7-0) and Walsh (6-1). Le Moyne earned its first-ever NCAA Championships berth last season, and the Dolphins have posted a 1-1 record so far this season. 

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. 

LET'S GET WILDE
Junior Fabian Wilde recorded the 50th win of his career with a 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 defeat of Walsh's Clemens Wagner on Feb. 16. Wilde becomes just the sixth player in team history to record at least 50 combined singles and doubles victories. It also marked the 27th singles win of his career, pulling him into a tie with John LeMar for fourth in team history. 

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. 

LE MOYNE SCOUTING REPORT
Le Moyne is a member of the Northeast-10 Conference, and the Dolphins are led by alumnus Jeff Lonczak who is in his third season at the helm. Since taking over, Lonczak has led the Dolphins to a 24-17 record and the program's first-ever NCAA Championships berth which came last season. Le Moyne advanced to the NE-10 Championship semifinals last spring, and were later awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships where they fell 5-4 in the opening round against NYIT. Lonczak was named the 2017-18 NE-10 Coach of the Year. Five players return to the fold, including third team All-NE-10 selections Xavier Graells and Christian Erickson. The Dolphins are ranked sixth in the latest ITA East Region poll. They are coming off a 5-2 loss to Division I Colgate in their spring season opener on Feb. 10. 

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. LE MOYNE
Series Record: 0-6
Streak: Lost 6
Last Meeting: Le Moyne 5, Daemen 4 | Feb. 24, 2018 | Williamsville, N.Y.

ON THE HORIZON
The Wildcats trek south to The Mountain State where they'll face Fairmont State (Friday, Mar. 1) and Salem (Saturday, Mar. 2).