Saturday, January 15
Raleigh, NC
10:00 a.m.
Davidson College Athletics
at
No. 57 NC State
Seniors Arie Hefter, Walker Lyons and Carter Braxton along with head coach Drew Barrett
Wildcat Men's Tennis Gears Up for 2011 Season
1/11/2011 1:12:55 PM | Men's Tennis
Gavin McFarlin -- Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson men's tennis team readies itself for the 2011 season this weekend when they open at No. 57 NC State and against UNC Wilmington in a neutral site match on Saturday, Jan. 15. Match times are set for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Of the Wildcats' first six matches, four are on the road and four of the six opponents are ranked in the latest men's Intercollegiate Tennis Association top-75 poll. Besides facing NC State, the 'Cats will also battle ranked foes in Clemson (No. 53), USC Upstate (No. 60) and Harvard (No. 64).
In anticipation of a strong year, below is a look at the Davidson Men's Tennis 2011 Season Preview...
Now in their fifth season under the direction of head coach Drew Barrett, the Wildcats will enter the 2011 campaign seeking the program's 10th SoCon Tournament title as Davidson returns a solid core of players from a season ago.
The Wildcats reached the double-digit win mark last year when they went 10-11 overall and 4-6 in league play.
This year's club will feature seven letterwinners from last year, including No. 1 singles player and All-SoCon Freshman Team member Joe Schafer as well as All-SoCon Second Team member Calum Gee. In addition to those two, two other Wildcats return that were part of the top-six singles starting lineup. Add in a deep freshman class with four players who can add depth to the starting lineup and the Wildcats are primed for the 2011 season.
Singles
Davidson had a strong showing in singles as a team a year ago, going 70-51, including 32-28 against SoCon opponents.
• Senior Walker Lyons: Split time between No. 2 and 3 singles ... went 8-10 overall, but just 2-8 vs. the league ... was 4-3 at the No. 3 spot.
• Senior Arie Hefter: Got into three matches last year ... went 1-1 at No. 6 singles, 1-2 overall ... had a good Fall season, including a 3-0 singles mark at Jeff Frank Invite.
• Senior Carter Braxton: Played in one singles match as a junior last year ... scored a 6-0, 6-0 triumph at No. 6 singles ... also got in on a pair of doubles matches, scoring two wins with Tareq Alani and Joe Schafer at No. 3.
• Junior #Calum Gee#: Had a outsanding second year with Davidson, with a team-best mark of 15-3 in singles play ... mainly was the Wildcats' No. 5 player, going 12-2 at that spot ... earned All-SoCon Second Team honors at No. 5 singles after finishing a pefect 10-0 vs. the league ... rattled off a 10-match win streak during the middle of the season, with four of those wins against league opponents ... won all six of his three-set matches.
• Sophomore Chris Mark: Stepped into the starting lineup as freshman and went 12-9, 4-6 vs. SoCon ... was 7-2 at No. 4 singles ... had two five-match win streaks, including starting collegiate career with five straight wins ... fashioned a 9-4 home record in singles action.
• Sophomore Kevin Moore: Saw action in three matches during freshman year, going 2-1 ... scored a pair of wins vs. South Carolina State and Winston-Salem State at No. 6 and 4 singles ... started collegiate career facing No. 66 Clemson and holding his own in a 6-4, 6-4 setback.
• Sophomore Joe Schafer: Worked his way into the No. 1 singles spot for the Wildcats last year as a freshman ... sported a 10-9 record, 4-6 vs. SoCon ... earned a spot on the All-SoCon Freshman Team ... also competed at No. 2 and 3 singles, going 3-0 ... opened collegiate career with a 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 66 Clemson ... went on to win next four matches to open the season.
Newcomers
• Freshman Theodore Bolton: Three-year letterwinner at Seal Foreign School ... All-APAC in 2008-09 and 2009-10 ... went 23-0 during senior year ... brother John and cousin Soon-Joe Hwang each attended Davidson
• Freshman Connor Evins: A two-time all-state member ... earned team MVP, Most Improved and Competitive Spirit awards during four-year prep career at Kaplar College Prep School.
• Freshman #Ethan Kallick#: State finalist in singles during senior prep year at Upper St. Clair in Pittsburg, Pa. ... won team state finals during sophomore season ... winner of National Open for doubles in Lexington, Ky. in U-16 division.
• Freshman Robert Lightbourn: Played No. 1-3 singles positions and No. 1 doubles during prep career ... All-Founders League in the 2008 and 2009 season ... Bahamas Junior National's winner in 2009 ... team was the 2008 and 2010 New England Prep School Tennis Champions ... went 16-3 in singles and 18-4 in doubles during senior prep career ... finished career 65-12 in singles, while going 58-14 in doubles action.
Doubles
Davidson's doubles play saw the Wildcats combine to go 34-27 overall (14-16 SoCon). They used six different lineups a season ago.
• No. 1 position: The Wildcats return half of their No. 1 team of Schafer and Eric Noble ... the duo were 12-5 a year ago, including 6-3 vs. the SoCon ... they finished 7-3 in their final 10 matches.
• No. 2 position: The Wildcats' No. 2 team of Gee and Lyons return after scoring 11 wins last year together ... they went 9-8 at No. 2 and also saw action at No. 1 doubles three times, going 2-1 ... they had an even 5-5 record vs. the league.
• No. 3 position: Half of the Wildcats No. 3 team returns in Mark ... the sophomore teamed with Sam Burns last year for a 9-12 record, seven of those wins coming at No. 3 ... the duo finished out the season at 4-6 in the last 10 matches.
Schedule
Davidson will open its 2011 season with three straight road matches. The 'Cats open up at No. 57 N.C. State and then also play UNC Wilmington on the 15th of January. The Wolfpack were 15-12 last year and finished ranked No. 59 in the country. The Seahawks had a 15-6 season a year ago. The two schools have only faced each other once since 1988.
The Wildcats' non-conference schedule will also include top programs in No. 53 Clemson (ranked #55 last year, 17-10), No. 22 Wake Forest (16-10) and No. 64 Harvard (#67 last year, 14-10). The 'Cats will also battle cross-county rival Charlotte. They have gone 10-12 all-time vs. the 49ers and will be looking to halt their three-match losing skid.
The Wildcats will open SoCon play at home with a Mar. 6 match against Chattanooga. The first four league matches overall are at home, which also includes Elon, UNCG and Samford visiting Covington Tennis Courts. Last year saw Davidson go 9-4 on its home courts. This year has the 'Cats hosting five SoCon foes.
UNCG won the tournament title with a 4-3 win over Elon in the SoCon Championship match last year. The Spartans finished 17-6 overall, falling to Georgia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Furman has captured three of the last five regular-season and tournament titles.
The SoCon Tournament takes place April 20-23 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
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