Katelyn Bechtel

A Trio Of Matches Awaits Men's Tennis This Weekend

4/2/2025 1:57:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Mary Margaret Johnson, Director of Athletics Communications | mmjohnso@daemen.edu

COURTSIDE
The Daemen University men's tennis team will play three matches this weekend, first heading down to the nation's capitol to play at Division III Marymount University in Arlington, VA on Thursday, April 3 in a non-league game at 12 PM before returning to East Coast Conference play on Friday, April 4 where they will take on the UDC Firebirds at 1 PM for the second time in one week. Daemen returns to Western New York and will host Division III John Carroll University on Sunday, April 5 in Williamsville, N.Y. at the Sweet Home High School Courts at noon. The Wildcats come into the weekend with a 2-8 record in the spring and a 4-13 overall record, including going 0-3 in ECC play. Marymount is 5-9 on the year, UDC is 6-5 and 2-1 in ECC action, and John Carroll is 0-7 overall.

LAST WEEK
The Wildcats dropped both home matches last weekend, first falling 2-5 to Bloomsburg University on Friday night before dropping an ECC match to UDC, 2-5. On Friday against the Huskies, Bloomsburg won all three doubles matches to win the first point of the day. Daemen collected their two points of the match with big wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles play. Senior Juan Alvarez (Puebla, Mexico) won his seventh singles match of the season in a battle at top singles, taking down Bloomsburg's Denis Dementev, 6-3, 4-6, 10-6, in three sets. Playing at second singles for the fourth time this season, sophomore Lucas Garcia (Bogota, Columbia) cruised to a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Iu Casamitjana to earn his first victory this spring and second win at No. 2 singles this year. The Huskies would win singles matches 3-5 to take the match and collected a win by default at No. 6 singles as the Wildcats did not field a player. After celebrating Jayven Williamson (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Alvarez for Senior Day ahead of the match against UDC, the Firebirds took all doubles matches to win the first point of the game but Daemen fought to a 6-3 final in all three matches. The Wildcats would earn their first point of the match after Alvarez battled to his eighth singles victory -- and second straight win -- of the season after topping UDC's top singles player Louis Mangeon, 6-2, 6-3. Freshman Vondin Henderson (Tonawanda, N.Y.) earned his third singles win this season after taking down UDC's Gabreleul Yacob, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 6 singles. Junior Alex Lumanog (Albuquerque, N.M.) took UDC's Louka Queguiner to three sets but fell, 7-5, 3-6, 10-4 at second singles.

PRESEASON POLL
The Wildcats were selected fourth in the 2025 East Coast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, as voted on by the league's four coaches. Daemen has finished fourth in the ECC in each of the three seasons under head coach Richard Greco, Jr. Defending conference champions Queens College (14 points, 2 first place votes) topped the poll alongside St. Thomas Aquinas College (14 points, 2 first place votes) with both teams tied for first place. The University of the District of Columbia (8 points) is third in the poll, followed by Daemen (4 points). Daemen went 5-15 on the year in the 2023-24 season and 0-6 in ECC play a season ago.

A LOOK AT THE TEAM
The Wildcats return six players from the 2023-24 team along with the addition of freshman Vondin Henderson (Tonawanda, N.Y.) who participated in the fall slate. Daemen went 2-5 in the fall portion of the season. Senior Juan Alvarez (Puebla, Mexico) and junior Rohan Chitanand (Den Haag, Netherlands) led the Wildcats with four singles victories a piece in the fall, with Alvarez going 2-2 in No. 1 singles and 2-0 in No. 2 singles and Chitanand compiling all four wins at No. 5 singles. In doubles action in the fall, the No. 3 pairing of Chitanand and senior Jayven Williamson (Minneapolis, Minn.) led the Cats with four doubles wins while the second doubles duo of sophomores Lasse Mergens (Bochum, Germany) and Lucas Garcia (Bogota, Columbia) finished with a 3-1 record in No. 2 doubles play.

UP NEXT
Daemen will play their final home game of the season next Saturday, April 12 as they welcome Queens College to Miller Tennis Center for a 6:30 PM match up.

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 Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @DaemenTennis

Print Friendly Version