Women's Tennis | 9/6/2024 11:00:00 AM
MATCH 1: Daemen at Houghton | Sept. 7 | 1 p.m. | Kerr-Pegula Field House | Houghton, N.Y.
Daemen Links:Â
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Houghton Links:
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MATCH 2: Daemen vs Allegheny | Sept. 8 | 10 a.m. | Sweet Home HS Courts | Amherst, N.Y.
Allegheny Links:
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MATCH 3: Daemen at Nazareth | Sept. 10 | 4 p.m. | Annette Shapiro Tennis Courts | Rochester, N.Y.
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ON THE COURT
The Daemen women's tennis team begins their 2024-25 campaign on the road one hour south of Amherst with a 1 p.m. match against Houghton University on Sept. 7 before returning home the next day to face Allegheny College in their first home match of the season at 10 a.m. The Wildcats wrap up their season-opening weekend on Sept. 10 with a 4 p.m. road contest against Nazareth University.
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KEY RETURNERS
Graduate studentÂ
Frida Rubio (San Diego, Calif.) and seniorÂ
Kitsa Scime (Williamsville, N.Y.) highlight some of the top players returning to the fold for the Wildcats this season. Rubio enters her fifth season with the program this fall. The ECC Rookie of the Year and second team All-ECC pick as a freshman in 2021-22, she has played in 67 singles matches over her career and ranks sixth in career singles wins at Daemen with 31. Scime turned in an outstanding third season with the program last year. Playing primarily No. 2 singles throughout the year, she went 15-7 in singles play overall (13-5 in dual matches) and 11-12 in doubles play. It marked the second-straight year she has posted 15 singles wins, which ranks as the second most in a season in program history.
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A RECORD NUMBER OF FRESH FACES
Daemen welcomes five newcomers to the 2024 squad to bring the team total to 13 players, the largest Daemen women's tennis team in the Division II era (2015-present). The Wildcats brought inÂ
Stephanie Baier (Boise, Idaho),Â
Bella Bjerkan (Elmhurst, Ill.),Â
Zoe Gietmann (Hamburg, Germany),Â
Lily Goodemote (Sauquoit, N.Y.) andÂ
Sarah Son (Utica, N.Y.). Gietmann also becomes Greco's first international player on the women's roster in his three-year tenure.Â
WILDCATS IN THE POLLS
The Wildcats were tabbed fourth in the 2024 East Coast Conference Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll following a vote of the leagues six coaches back on Aug. 19. Greco has led Daemen to the postseason all three years while at the helm of the program, qualifying as the fourth seed last season. Queens College, the defending ECC Regular Season champions, received four first-place votes and topped the poll with 34 points. Defending ECC Tournament champions St. Thomas Aquinas College finished second in the poll, garnering two first-place votes (31 points) and the University of the District of Columbia (24 points) rounded out the top three. The ECC Women's Tennis Championship is set for Oct. 25-26 in Flushing, N.Y., with the top four teams qualifying.
SCOUTING HOUGHTON
The Highlanders began their season this past weekend, losing to Lycoming University, 5-2, on Aug. 30 and SUNY Oswego, 7-0, on Aug. 31 in their first two matches of the year. Kelsi Clapper and Victoria Martinez are the only two players to have earned a win for Houghton this season, both coming against Lycoming in singles. Last season, Houghton went 0-13 overall and 0-6 in Empire 8 conference play.
SCOUTING ALLEGHENY
The Gators also began their season this past weekend by hosting the Allegheny Invitational. A one-day tournament, Allegheny collected 10 singles wins and six more victories in doubles action. Rebecca McIntosh, who accounted for three of the Gators 10 wins on the day, was named the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Player of the Week as well. The junior earned one win in singles and two wins while playing doubles with a combination of Omega Ba and Athena Drollas. The Gators were selected to repeat as PAC conference champions, the third straight year they were chosen to be champions.
SCOUTING NAZARETH
The Golden Flyers began their 2024-25 campaign with a 6-1 win over Farmingdale State University on Sept. 1. Nazareth took two of three doubles matches for the doubles point and five of six singles matches for the win. Nazareth's Catherine Zak also took home a weekly award as she was named the Empire 8's Women's Tennis Player of the Week after winning both her singles and doubles matches against Farmingdale State.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats are back in action on Sept. 14 against Niagara. Opening serve from Niagara Falls, N.Y., is set for 11 a.m.
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.
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