Friday, January 20
All Day
Davidson College Athletics
vs
Virginia Tech
Head coach Drew Barrett along with Joe Schafer (top) and Calum Gee.
Nationally Ranked Doubles Duo Leads Wildcat M. Tennis into 2012 Season
1/18/2012 4:29:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
2012 Schedule
Find Your Favorite Wildcat Action Shot at DavidsonPhotos.com
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson men's tennis team readies itself for the 2012 season this weekend when they open at the Virginia Tech Tour on Friday through Sunday. They will compete against Middle Tennesse State, Columbia and Virginia Tech in a individually flighted tournament.
The Wildcats will open team play, Jan. 28-29, at home vs. Gardner-Webb on the 28th and then head to South Carolina on the 29th.
Davidson will be led this year by the 19th ranked doubles team of junior Joe Schafer (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and senior Calum Gee (Ayr, Scotland). The duo became the first doubles team in team history to be ranked in the nationally rankings. They are the highest ranked team in the national rankings out of the Carolina Regionals, ahead of ACC doubles teams from Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Clemson.
In anticipation of a strong year, below is a look at the Davidson Men's Tennis 2012 Season Preview...
Now in their sixth season under the direction of head coach Drew Barrett, the Wildcats will enter the 2012 campaign seeking the program's 10th SoCon Tournament title as Davidson returns a solid core of players from a season ago.
The Wildcats closed out the 2011 season with a 7-18 overall record and 2-8 in league play. They scored a 4-1 win over Wofford in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament to reach the quarterfinals.
This year's club will feature the return of eight letterwinners, including No. 1 singles player and All-SoCon Second Team member Joe Schafer, along with senior Calum Gee, an All-SoCon Second Team pick two years ago. The duo became the first doubles team in program history to earn a national ranking as they were ranked 19th in the first ITA rankings, Jan. 4.
In addition to those two, two other Wildcats return that were a main part of the top-six singles starting lineup. Add in the addition of three freshmen, who will add to the depth of the starting lineup, and the Wildcats are primed for a solid 2012 season.
Singles
Davidson picked up 54 singles wins, getting 22 of those wins against SoCon opponents.
•Senior Calum Gee: Finished tied for third on the team with eight singles wins a year ago ... enters senior campaign with 33 career singles wins ... played positions 2-5 for the 'Cats last year ... picked up two wins against nationally ranked teams Harvard and Wake Forest ... a second-team all-league pick in 2010 after finishing 15-3 in singles (10-0 vs. SoCon).
•Junior Chris Mark: The Wildcats main No. 2 singles play, went 10-15 overall ... seven of those wins came at No. 2 ... rattled off a season-best four-match win streak ... recorded a team-best 6-4 mark against league foes and is 13-6 the last two years ... was 3-1 in three-set matches.
•Junior Kevin Moore: Stepped into the lineup as the main No. 6 singles player a year ago ... was 7-11 overall, 5-9 at No. 6 ... picked up a thrilling three-set win against No. 53 Clemson ... combined to go 2-2 at No. 4 and 5 singles slots.
•Junior Joe Schafer: The 'Cats main No. 1 singles player, earned all-league second team honors at No. 1 ... was named to the All-SoCon Freshman Team in 2010 ... sported a 10-9 mark at No. 1 singles ... had a team-best 12 singles wins overall ... was an even 5-5 vs. the SoCon ... opened sophomore season winning five of first seven singles matches, including a pair of three-setters.
•Sophomore Ted Bolton: Did not see any action in freshman season.
•Sophomore Connor Evins: Did not play in a singles match last year, but played in five doubles matches ... in first collegiate match, earned a 9-8 win with Kevin Moore.
•Sophomore Ethan Kallick: Got into seven singles matches in 2011 ... had a 4-3 mark, with all four wins coming at the No. 6 position ... netted first career win at No. 6 vs. Lee-McRae (6-2, 6-1) ... scored back-to-back league wins against Georgia Southern and The Citadel for first two collegiate SoCon victories.
•Sophomore Robert Lightbourn: Earned a starting nod in two singles matches as a first year ... first career SoCon match was against Appalachian State.
Newcomers
•Roger Irigoyen Berlanga: Played No. 1 at Salisbury School ... was ranked among the top-15 players in Mexico in age group ... played several ITF Junior Tournaments as well as in Future ITF Tournaments ... twice was the second-best player in the State of Mexico in tournaments.
•Nicky Kunz: Three-year letterwinner from Hilton Head Prep School ... played No. 1 and No. 3 singles positions during prep career ... was a two-time all-state pick ... also participated in football and soccer ... during the 2008-09 season, played for the Swiss National Junior Team.
•Daniel Reitten: Comes to Davidson from Tel Aviv, Israel, and played at Ironi Daled Tel Aviv high school ... was ranked fifth in Israel's Junior League ... was a two-time Orange Bowl qualifier ... is an Israeli Defense Forces Air Force alumnus.
Doubles
Davidson's doubles teams were some of the tops in the conference, tallying 32 wins and 15 in league play. The 'Cats return nearly all three doubles teams from a season ago.
• No. 1 position: The Wildcats return their No. 1 team in Schafer and Gee ... the duo were 10-11 a year ago, including 5-4 vs. the SoCon ... they finished the year strong, winning six of their last eight matches ... rattled off a four-match win streak in that stretch.
• No. 2 position: The Wildcats' No. 2 team of Kallick and Walker Lyons was 9-12 overall ... Lyons has graduated and will need to be replaced ... the pair were 5-4 vs. the league ... they had a team-best five-match win streak during the season.
• No. 3 position: Mark and Moore return to fill the last doubles slot ... the duo went 9-8 with a 5-2 SoCon mark ... the team was on fire to close the year, going 8-2 in last 10 matches and won their final three doubles matches.
Schedule
Davidson will open its 2012 season with a three-day tournament at Virginia Tech, Jan. 20-23. The Wildcats official season-opener has them hosting Gardner-Webb, Jan. 28, as they will play five of their first six matches on their home courts of Knobloch Indoor Tennis Center/Covington Tennis Courts. During the home stretch, Davidson will host Wingate, Presbyterian, Richmond and Campbell. Its lone away match is at South Carolina.
The Wildcats' non-conference schedule will also include Central Florida, South Florida and Winthrop. They will also battle cross-county rival Charlotte. They have gone 11-12 all-time vs. the 49ers and halted a three-match skid in the series with a 5-2 triumph last year at home.
The Wildcats will open SoCon play at Georgia Southern, March 3. It's part of a five-match road swing that closes out with a match vs. Elon, March 11.The first league match at home is against UNCG, March 17.
Davidson returned to the league tournament a year ago and reached the second round. The Wildcats defeated Wofford 4-1 in the opening round, before seeing their season end against College of Charleston in the next round, 4-0.
Samford won the SoCon Tournament last year for its first championship title. Furman has won three of the last six and has 14 overall to pace all SoCon teams.
The SoCon Tournament takes place April 19-22 in Charleston, S.C.
Find Your Favorite Wildcat Action Shot at DavidsonPhotos.com
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson men's tennis team readies itself for the 2012 season this weekend when they open at the Virginia Tech Tour on Friday through Sunday. They will compete against Middle Tennesse State, Columbia and Virginia Tech in a individually flighted tournament.
The Wildcats will open team play, Jan. 28-29, at home vs. Gardner-Webb on the 28th and then head to South Carolina on the 29th.
Davidson will be led this year by the 19th ranked doubles team of junior Joe Schafer (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and senior Calum Gee (Ayr, Scotland). The duo became the first doubles team in team history to be ranked in the nationally rankings. They are the highest ranked team in the national rankings out of the Carolina Regionals, ahead of ACC doubles teams from Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Clemson.
In anticipation of a strong year, below is a look at the Davidson Men's Tennis 2012 Season Preview...
Now in their sixth season under the direction of head coach Drew Barrett, the Wildcats will enter the 2012 campaign seeking the program's 10th SoCon Tournament title as Davidson returns a solid core of players from a season ago.
The Wildcats closed out the 2011 season with a 7-18 overall record and 2-8 in league play. They scored a 4-1 win over Wofford in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament to reach the quarterfinals.
This year's club will feature the return of eight letterwinners, including No. 1 singles player and All-SoCon Second Team member Joe Schafer, along with senior Calum Gee, an All-SoCon Second Team pick two years ago. The duo became the first doubles team in program history to earn a national ranking as they were ranked 19th in the first ITA rankings, Jan. 4.
In addition to those two, two other Wildcats return that were a main part of the top-six singles starting lineup. Add in the addition of three freshmen, who will add to the depth of the starting lineup, and the Wildcats are primed for a solid 2012 season.
Singles
Davidson picked up 54 singles wins, getting 22 of those wins against SoCon opponents.
•Senior Calum Gee: Finished tied for third on the team with eight singles wins a year ago ... enters senior campaign with 33 career singles wins ... played positions 2-5 for the 'Cats last year ... picked up two wins against nationally ranked teams Harvard and Wake Forest ... a second-team all-league pick in 2010 after finishing 15-3 in singles (10-0 vs. SoCon).
•Junior Chris Mark: The Wildcats main No. 2 singles play, went 10-15 overall ... seven of those wins came at No. 2 ... rattled off a season-best four-match win streak ... recorded a team-best 6-4 mark against league foes and is 13-6 the last two years ... was 3-1 in three-set matches.
•Junior Kevin Moore: Stepped into the lineup as the main No. 6 singles player a year ago ... was 7-11 overall, 5-9 at No. 6 ... picked up a thrilling three-set win against No. 53 Clemson ... combined to go 2-2 at No. 4 and 5 singles slots.
•Junior Joe Schafer: The 'Cats main No. 1 singles player, earned all-league second team honors at No. 1 ... was named to the All-SoCon Freshman Team in 2010 ... sported a 10-9 mark at No. 1 singles ... had a team-best 12 singles wins overall ... was an even 5-5 vs. the SoCon ... opened sophomore season winning five of first seven singles matches, including a pair of three-setters.
•Sophomore Ted Bolton: Did not see any action in freshman season.
•Sophomore Connor Evins: Did not play in a singles match last year, but played in five doubles matches ... in first collegiate match, earned a 9-8 win with Kevin Moore.
•Sophomore Ethan Kallick: Got into seven singles matches in 2011 ... had a 4-3 mark, with all four wins coming at the No. 6 position ... netted first career win at No. 6 vs. Lee-McRae (6-2, 6-1) ... scored back-to-back league wins against Georgia Southern and The Citadel for first two collegiate SoCon victories.
•Sophomore Robert Lightbourn: Earned a starting nod in two singles matches as a first year ... first career SoCon match was against Appalachian State.
Newcomers
•Roger Irigoyen Berlanga: Played No. 1 at Salisbury School ... was ranked among the top-15 players in Mexico in age group ... played several ITF Junior Tournaments as well as in Future ITF Tournaments ... twice was the second-best player in the State of Mexico in tournaments.
•Nicky Kunz: Three-year letterwinner from Hilton Head Prep School ... played No. 1 and No. 3 singles positions during prep career ... was a two-time all-state pick ... also participated in football and soccer ... during the 2008-09 season, played for the Swiss National Junior Team.
•Daniel Reitten: Comes to Davidson from Tel Aviv, Israel, and played at Ironi Daled Tel Aviv high school ... was ranked fifth in Israel's Junior League ... was a two-time Orange Bowl qualifier ... is an Israeli Defense Forces Air Force alumnus.
Doubles
Davidson's doubles teams were some of the tops in the conference, tallying 32 wins and 15 in league play. The 'Cats return nearly all three doubles teams from a season ago.
• No. 1 position: The Wildcats return their No. 1 team in Schafer and Gee ... the duo were 10-11 a year ago, including 5-4 vs. the SoCon ... they finished the year strong, winning six of their last eight matches ... rattled off a four-match win streak in that stretch.
• No. 2 position: The Wildcats' No. 2 team of Kallick and Walker Lyons was 9-12 overall ... Lyons has graduated and will need to be replaced ... the pair were 5-4 vs. the league ... they had a team-best five-match win streak during the season.
• No. 3 position: Mark and Moore return to fill the last doubles slot ... the duo went 9-8 with a 5-2 SoCon mark ... the team was on fire to close the year, going 8-2 in last 10 matches and won their final three doubles matches.
Schedule
Davidson will open its 2012 season with a three-day tournament at Virginia Tech, Jan. 20-23. The Wildcats official season-opener has them hosting Gardner-Webb, Jan. 28, as they will play five of their first six matches on their home courts of Knobloch Indoor Tennis Center/Covington Tennis Courts. During the home stretch, Davidson will host Wingate, Presbyterian, Richmond and Campbell. Its lone away match is at South Carolina.
The Wildcats' non-conference schedule will also include Central Florida, South Florida and Winthrop. They will also battle cross-county rival Charlotte. They have gone 11-12 all-time vs. the 49ers and halted a three-match skid in the series with a 5-2 triumph last year at home.
The Wildcats will open SoCon play at Georgia Southern, March 3. It's part of a five-match road swing that closes out with a match vs. Elon, March 11.The first league match at home is against UNCG, March 17.
Davidson returned to the league tournament a year ago and reached the second round. The Wildcats defeated Wofford 4-1 in the opening round, before seeing their season end against College of Charleston in the next round, 4-0.
Samford won the SoCon Tournament last year for its first championship title. Furman has won three of the last six and has 14 overall to pace all SoCon teams.
The SoCon Tournament takes place April 19-22 in Charleston, S.C.
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