HOUGHTON, N.Y. -- The Daemen University men's tennis team got their 2024-25 campaign off to a great start today by defeating host Houghton University by a 7-0 final score. It marks Daemen's first win in a season-opening match since the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 season which also started with a defeat of Houghton.
Daemen shook off a tough 6-4 decision on the top doubles court with wins at No. 2 and 3 doubles to pick up the doubles point. Sophomores
Lucas Garcia (Bogota, Colombia) and
Lasse Mergens (Bochum, Germany) teamed up on on a 6-0 win at No. 2 doubles, while the pair of junior
Rohan Chitanand (Den Haag, Netherlands) and senior
Jayven Williamson (Minneapolis, Minn.) went nearly unblemished in a 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles.
That set the stage for the Wildcats to sweep through the match's six singles matchups. Atop the lineup, junior
Alex Lumanog (Albuquerque, N.M.) and senior
Juan Alvarez (Puebla, Mexico) set the tone. Lumanog dropped just two games in a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles while Alvarez blanked his opponent on the No. 2 singles court, winning 6-0, 6-0.
Garcia (6-2, 6-3 at No. 3), Mergens (6-1, 6-1 at No. 4), Chitanand (6-4, 6-1 at No. 5) and Williamson (6-3, 6-4 at No. 6) completed the singles sweep for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats return to action Sunday, Sept. 22 when they visit Division I Niagara University at Monteagle Ridge.
DOUBLES RESULTS
#1 – Graham Cook & Zach Nolan (HOU) defeat
Alex Lumanog & Juan Alvarez (DAE), 6-4
#2 –
Lucas Garcia &
Lasse Mergens (DAE) defeat Preston Tobolski & Jason Murphy (HOU), 6-0
#3 –
Rohan Chitanand &
Jayven Williamson (DAE) defeat Jonas Likens & Benjamin Unger (HOU), 6-1
SINGLES RESULTS
#1 – Lumanog defeats Nolan, 6-1, 6-1
#2 – Alvarez defeats Cook, 6-0, 6-0
#3 – Garcia defeats Tobolski, 6-2, 6-3
#4 – Mergens defeats Likens, 6-1, 6-1
#5 – Chitanand defeats Murphy, 6-4, 6-1
#6 – Williamson defeats Unger, 6-3, 6-4
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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