Wildcats To Play Matches Late Friday, Early Saturday

Daemen hosts Pitt-Greensburg, travels to St. Bonaventure this weekend

3/10/2022 11:00:00 AM

By: CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for Communications/Operations | 716-839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

AMHERST, N.Y. - Coming off their first win of the season, the Daemen men's tennis team will complete a busy week with two matches in a 13-hour span this weekend, hosting Pitt-Greensburg (Friday, March 11, 9:30 p.m.) and visiting St. Bonaventure (Saturday, March 12, 10 a.m.).

The Wildcats (1-5, 0-0 ECC) got off the proverbial schneid earlier this week when they defeated Houghton 7-2 in a match played under the NCAA Division III scoring format. Luis de Vuyst (Antwerp, Belgium), Sam Greco (Amherst, N.Y.), Zachary Laplante (Ottawa, Canada) and Phillip Vance (Orchard Park, N.Y.) all earned wins in both singles and doubles play to lead the way.

Now in his third season with the program, Vance has collected 17 wins (combined singles/doubles) in his career to date. Newcomers de Vuyst (Antwerp, Belgium) Laplante also figure prominently in the Wildcats' lineup. The Wildcats got a boost recently with the return of Greco, who had missed the first two matches of the spring season. Senior Marcos Lerma Escobar (Zaragoza, Spain) also saw his first action of the season vs. Houghton, winning in the No. 6 singles position.

Pitt-Greensburg (1-4) will come to Miller Tennis Center looking to snap a four-match slide. The Bobcats, who compete in NCAA Division III and the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, posted a 9-0 win over Pitt-Bradford back on September 17, but are winless since. They're coming off a 6-3 defeat to Juniata last weekend. Despite the setbacks, junior Turner Price has been solid atop the Bobcats' lineup. Turner has posted a perfect 5-0 mark in singles play this season with all wins coming on the first singles court. He has also teamed with freshman Deven Summers to post a 3-1 doubles record thus far.

Friday's match is the first-ever between the Wildcats and Bobcats.

It's a short turn-around then as the Wildcats trek down to Olean to face Division I and Atlantic Sun Conference affiliate St. Bonaventure. It will mark just the second all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Bonnies. SBU scored a 7-0 win in the only prior meeting played just over three years ago to the date (March 10, 2019).

The Bonnies are off to a 3-5 start this season and will host Niagara for an 11 a.m. Friday match prior to taking on Daemen. Sophomore Stijn Paardekooper has paced the Bonnies with a 10-5 singles record thus far, including four wins on the first singles court. In doubles play, Paardepkooper has teamed with senior Marco Rivolo to post an 8-7 record. Additional production is coming from sophomore Norka Sanchez who owns an 8-6 singles record to date.

The Bonnies head into the weekend having won two straight matches: a 6-1 win over Division II Mercyhurst and a 4-3 defeat of Siena.

MEN'S PROJECTED LINEUP
#1 Doubles: Luis de Vuyst / Sam Greco
#2 Doubles: Phillip Vance / Zachary Laplante
#3 Doubles: Ross Belen / Jayven Williamson

#1 Singles: Luis de Vuyst
#2 Singles: Phillip Vance
#3 Singles: Zachary Laplante
#4 Singles: Sam Greco
#5 Singles: Jayven Williamson
#6 Singles: Marcos Lerma Escobar

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Follow the Daemen College tennis program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @DaemenTennis.

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