Men's Tennis Faces Medaille & Mercyhurst This Weekend

2/13/2020 1:50:00 PM

MATCH #5 - SATURDAY, FEB. 15 - 4 PM
DAEMEN WILDCATS (0-4, 0-0 ECC) vs. MEDAILLE MAVERICKS (0-0, 0-0 AMCC)
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (SOUTH TOWNS TENNIS CLUB)

MATCH #6 - SUNDAY, FEB. 16 - 3:30 PM
DAEMEN WILDCATS vs. MERCYHURST LAKERS (0-1, 0-0 PSAC)
ERIE, PA. (WESTWOOD RACQUET CLUB)

Here's three things to know as the Daemen men's tennis team resumes its 2019-20 season this weekend...

1. This weekend's matches mark the spring season openers for Daemen - the first of their five February matches, including three at Miller Tennis Center. Saturday's match against Medaille was a late addition to the schedule, just added this week. The Wildcats' spring debut has been delayed by a week following the postponement of last week's match against Le Moyne due to hazardous travel conditions. The Wildcats last competed in early October, suffering losses to Merrimack and Southern New Hampshire on back-to-back days. It was the close of a difficult fall slate for the Wildcats that included matches against two Division I opponents (Merrimack, Niagara), an up-and-coming Division II program (Millersville) and SNHU, a powerhouse in the Division II East Region for years. In addition to their four dual matches, Daemen also sent players to compete in the ITA East Region Championship tournament last fall. Senior Fabian Wilde picked up a win in singles competition, and teamed with junior Jose Williamson III on a doubles win in tournament play.

2. Saturday's match will mark the first-ever between Daemen and Medaille in men's tennis. Medaille's team is competing in just their second season. The Mavericks went 7-4 overall and 4-2 in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference matches in their inaugural campaign last spring. Matthew Burke and Jonny Pitts return for the Mavs after earning All-AMCC honors last season. Medaille's six-player roster features five who hail from foreign countries.

3. Daemen will be seeking their first-ever win against Mercyhurst on Sunday. It'll mark the eighth-straight season that the Wildcats and Lakers have met. Mercyhurst has posted five consecutive winning seasons with four NCAA tournament berths in that span. They are coming off an 18-4 campaign in 2018-19 that saw them win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship and advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Lakers opened their spring season with a 5-2 loss to Hillsdale on Feb. 7, and will host Division I St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday before closing the weekend against Daemen.

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