Match #15
Daemen Wildcats (4-10, 0-1 ECC) vs. Queens Knights (10-3, 2-1 ECC)
Date: Saturday, April 1
Time: 4 PM
Location: Flushing, N.Y. | QC Tennis Bubble
Match #16
Daemen Wildcats (4-10, 0-1 ECC) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans (11-0, 1-0 ECC)
Date: Sunday, April 2
Time: 10 AM, 1 PM
Location: Sparkill, N.Y.
Live Stats: via
ioncourt.com
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Daemen University men's tennis team heads downstate this weekend for a pair of East Coast Conference matchups against Queens and St. Thomas Aquinas. The Wildcats will first take on the Knights in a 4 PM match on Sunday afternoon, then face undefeated STAC in a double-header on Sunday with matches at 10 AM and 1 PM.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats dropped their first ECC match of the season last weekend in a 6-1 loss to the University of the District of Columbia, moving to 4-7 in the spring and 0-1 in ECC play, while UDC improved to 4-8 on the year and 1-1 in conference matches. The senior doubles pairing of
Phillip Vance (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and
Zachary Laplante (Ottawa, Ont.) were the only Wildcats to win a doubles match against the Firebirds, taking No. 2 doubles 6-4, but the No. 1 and No. 3 Wildcat doubles could not persevere, and UDC took the first point of the match with the doubles majority. Laplante picked up the only Daemen point of the match with a 6-0, 6-1 victory in No. 5 singles.
SENIORITY
Zachary Laplante is having a good senior season and leads the team with a 7-4 in singles play and 4-4 with Vance with his doubles partner on the season. The native Canadian has gone an impressive 6-1 in the No. 5 singles spot this year, and has put together a team-high 5-3 record over the last 10 matches. The doubles pair of Laplante and Vance is the only Daemen duo that has seen a lot of success, going 4-4 in their last eight matches playing together.
SOLID MARCH
The Wildcats put together a good month of March, winning three of the six matches they played in the month. Daemen comes into the weekend with a 4-10 overall record and 4-7 record in the spring season. After a 7-0 sweep over Kutztown on the fourth, the Wildcats fell to Adelphi on the fifth but rebounded with a pair of wins, starting with an 8-1 win over Division III Houghton on March 15 and a big 5-2 home victory over Bloomsburg on the 17th. Daemen suffered a 6-1 loss to Le Moyne, and is currently on a two-match losing streak after dropping their ECC opener to UDC.
UP NEXT
Daemen resumes non-conference action after this weekend, traveling to Virginia for a pair of midweek matches against Southern Virginia on Tuesday, April 11 and a Wednesday (April 12) afternoon match against Shenandoah.
SCOUTING THE QUEENS KNIGHTS
Perennial powerhouse Queens has had a very successful season this year. After dropping their first match of the spring to Monmouth, the Knights went on an eight-match win streak, including wins over NCAA Division I programs Long Island University, Merrimack College and St. Francis College Brooklyn, but saw their win streak snapped by a 2-4 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas on March 24 in their ECC opener. Queens picked up their first conference victory of the season with a 6-1 win over UDC on Monday. Eight players returned from their 2021-22 team that finished 17-9 and lost 3-4 to Southern New Hampshire in the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament. The Wildcats have never beaten the Knights.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. QUEENS
Series Record: 12-0 Queens
Last Meeting: 4-0 Queens | April 29, 2022 | Flushing, N.Y.
SCOUTING THE ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SPARTANS
The Spartans are undefeated on the season, coming into Sunday's doubleheader with an 11-0 record and 1-0 record in ECC play, including snapping Queens' eight-match win streak last week in their first conference match of the season. Five players return from last season's 18-8 team that upset top-ranked Queens in the ECC Championship game last season. The Spartans saw their 2021-22 season come to an end at the hands of Le Moyne after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. KNIGHTS
Series Record: 12-0 STAC
Last Meeting: 7-0 STAC | April 14, 2022 | Williamsville, N.Y.
Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 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 men's tennis program on Facebook and Twitter at @DaemenTennis
