MATCH INFORMATION
Match #3
Daemen Wildcats (0-2, 0-0 ECC) vs. Mercyhurst Lakers (0-0, 0-0 PSAC)
Sunday, Feb. 10 | 2:30 PM | Erie, Pa. | Westwood Racquet Club
THE SERVE
Daemen opens the spring portion of its 2018-19 schedule this weekend when they make a short 90-mile trek to face Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference powerhouse Mercyhurst. The Wildcats posted an 0-2 record in dual matches during the brief fall season, which also included arguably the team's best-ever showing at the ITA East Region Championships. Mercyhurst has claimed the last two PSAC championships. The Lakers are coming off a 17-3 campaign that saw them advance to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16.
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.
MERCYHURST SCOUTING REPORT
Mercyhurst is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and the Lakers are led by veteran head coach Jerome Simon. Since taking the reins of the program in 2011, Simon has led the Lakers to a 72-61 record and four consecutive winning seasons. The Lakers are the two-time defending PSAC champions. They defeated Einboro 5-1 to win last season's title, and ultimately advanced out of NCAA regional play to the national tournament Round of 16. Mercyhurst is presently ranked second in the ITA Atlantic Region poll, and they are led by the duo of Cormac McCooey and Unai Amilleta Gonzalez. Together, they are the No. 5 ranked doubles pair in the country. Individually, McCooey and Amilleta Gonzalez are ranked fifth and seventh, respectively, in the Atlantic Region singles rankings. Sebastian Pardo is ranked 17th in the region as well.
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MERCYHURST
Series Record: 0-6
Streak: Lost 6
Last Meeting: Mercyhurst 9, Daemen 0 | Feb. 17, 2018 | Erie, Pa.
ON THE HORIZON
Daemen returns to Erie, Pa. to face Edinboro on Friday, Feb. 15 to kick off a road trip that also features a tilt with Walsh (Saturday, Feb. 16) in the Canton, Ohio area.
