Saturday, January 19
Davidson, N.C.
3:00 p.m.
Davidson College
vs
#60 Clemson
seniors (L-R) Chris Mark, Joe Schafer and Kevin Moore will lead the Wildcats this year.
Davidson M. Tennis Gears Up for Spring Season, Hosts #60 Clemson This Saturday
1/15/2013 9:46:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
2013 Schedule
2013 Roster
2013 Quick Facts
Buy Davidson Action Photos at DavidsonPhotos.com
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson men's tennis team returns to the courts after a successful Fall season by opening its Spring slate of matches this Saturday, Jan. 19, when it hosts ACC-foe Clemson, which is ranked 60th in the latest ITA National Tennis Rankings, at 3 p.m.
The Wildcats will open the season with six of their first eight matches on its homecourts in the Knobloch Tennis Center and Covington Tennis Courts. The Clemson match is the first of four straight at home to start the 2013 season.
In anticipation of a strong year, below is a look at the Davidson Men's Tennis 2013 Season Preview...
Now in their seventh season under the direction of head coach Drew Barrett, the Wildcats will enter the 2013 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 2012 season with a 7-14 overall record and 3-7 in league play. They saw their season end on a tightly-contested 4-3 decision against Chattanooga in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament.
This year's club will feature the return of 10 letterwinners, including the senior trio of former All-SoCon member and No. 1 singles player Joe Schafer, along with classmates Chris Mark and Kevin Moore. The trio were of one of Davidson's best recruiting classes in 2009, ranking in the top-25 mid-major according to tennisrecruiting.net.
In addition to those three, sophomore Nicky Kunz returns after earning a spot on the All-SoCon Freshman Team a season ago. The Wildcats also bring back two more of their top-six singles players who saw significant time in the starting lineup in Connor Evins and Robert Lightbourn. Add in four more letterwinners and a talented freshman, who will add to the depth of the starting lineup, and the Wildcats are primed for a solid 2013 season.
Singles
Davidson picked up 58 singles wins, four more than a year ago, and netted an even 30-30 record against SoCon opponents. The No. 3, 4 and 6 spots all had records of .500 or better.
•Senior Joe Schafer: The 'Cats main No. 1 singles player since his freshman season, hit the double-digit win total for the third straight season ... was named to the All-SoCon Freshman Team in 2010 and was a second-team performer in 2011 ... sported a 10-11 mark at No. 1 singles ... played 13 of 21 matches at the top spot ... went 4-3 at the No. 2 position ... opened junior season winning four of first five singles matches, including a three-setter at home vs. Richmond ... closed season with a pair of wins vs. College of Charleston and Chattanooga.
•Senior Chris Mark: Saw action at all three of the top singles spots, No. 1-3 ... finished with five wins, three of them coming at No. 3 ... all five wins came at home ... enters senior campaign with 27 career singles wins, 12 of them against the SoCon.
•Senior Kevin Moore: Saw action in one match a year ago ... was a doubles specialist, seeing action in 19 matches ... two year's ago was 7-11 overall, 5-9 at No. 6, in singles action ... has nine career singles wins, playing No. 4-6.
•Junior Theodore Bolton: Did not see any action in sophomore season.
•Junior Connor Evins: Had a strong sophomore season, going a personal-best 10-6 in singles play at No. 5-6 ... one of four Wildcats to reach the double-digit mark in wins ... went a team-best 7-3 vs. SoCon foes ... rattled off a team-best seven-match win streak, earning five of those wins against SoCon foes.
•Junior Ethan Kallick: Played in four singles matches last year ... netted a singles win against Wingate ... has seen action at No. 5 and 6 positions during first two years.
•Junior Robert Lightbourn: Awarded the team's Harry Fogleman Coach's Award ... earned an even 10-10 singles mark last year ... had second-best SoCon record on team at 6-4 ... netted all 10 wins at No. 5 spot ... rattled off a four-match win streak, with three of the wins coming at home.
•Sophomore Roger Irigoyen Berlanga: Did not play in any official matches during first year ... this past Fall played in a pair of doubles matches.
•Sophomore Nicky Kunz: Had a strong freshman campaign, capped off by being named to the All-SoCon Freshman Team ... also earned the team's Rob Palmer MVP ... went a team-best 13-8 in singles action with a 6-4 league mark ... was 7-3 at No. 3 position, while going a combined 6-5 at No. 2 and 4 ... rattled off a five-match win streak with three of those wins coming in three-setters.
•Sophomore Daniel Reitten: Did not see any action during freshman season ... this past Fall teamed with Berlanga in doubles for an 8-6 win.
Newcomer
•Alex Howard: Comes to Davidson from Brentwood, Tenn., playing at Brentwood ... played both No. 1 and No. 2 singles ... led team to an undefeated season in 2012 and a state title ... this past Fall with the Wildcats, won first singles flight title at No. 6 singles during Davidson's own tournament.
Doubles
Davidson's doubles teams again had a solid year a season ago, tallying 29 wins and 10 in league play after netting 32 and 15 in 2011. The 'Cats return nearly all three doubles teams from a season ago.
• No. 1 position: The Wildcats return half of their No. 1 team in Schafer ... he and Calum Gee went 10-8 at the top spot and started the year ranked, the first doubles team ever ranked at Davidson ... the duo won six of their first seven doubles matches, including running off a five-match win streak.
• No. 2 position: The Wildcats' used seven different combinations at the No. 2 spot ... Evins and Mark had the best mark at 2-2, while Kunz and Moore played five matches there.
• No. 3 position: Mark and Evins return to fill the last doubles slot ... the duo went 8-3 with a 3-4 SoCon mark ... the team finished with 10 combined wins between playing No. 2 and 3 ... Lightbourn and Moore went a perfect 2-0 in their matches at No. 3.
The Schedule
Davidson will open its 2013 season with four straight home matches, starting with a matchup against ACC-foe Clemson, Jan. 19. The two teams last faced each other in 2011 when the 'Cats nearly pulled off an upset of the then-No. 53 Tigers, falling 4-3.
During the home stretch, Davidson will also host Wingate, Presbyterian, and Gardner-Webb. After a two-match road trip to Temple and Saint Joseph, Davidson hosts Richmond and Lees-McCrae, Feb. 16. The Wildcats finished 5-6 at home a season ago.
The Wildcats' non-conference schedule also includes trips to UNC Wilmington and Coastal Carolina, while playing host to Binghamton. Those three teams combined to go 46-25, with UNCW (17-7) and Binghamton (15-12) reaching the NCAA Tournament. This will be the 'Cats first time facing the Bearcats, while it has faced the Seahawks and Chanticleer twice each since 1991.
The Wildcats will open SoCon play at home against Chattanooga, Mar. 6. They went 1-1 last year against the Mocs, but UTC ended the 'Cats' season with a 4-3 win in the first round of the SoCon Tournament.
Three of the next four league matches will be on the road, starting with a trip to Charleston, S.C., to face The Citadel and College of Charleston, March 8-10. Davidson owns an 18-4 record all-time against the Bulldogs.
Davidson will have four of its final seven SoCon matches at home, starting with a matchup against Elon, March 13. The Wildcats will also host Georgia Southern, Samford and UNCG.
The SoCon Tournament takes place April 18-21 in Burlington, N.C. as Elon plays host this year. CofC took home last year's tournament title, its first since 2003 and second since joining the conference. CofC and Samford tied for the regular season title with 9-1 SoCon marks.
Davidson is 11-13 since 1988 in the SoCon Tournament.
2013 Roster
2013 Quick Facts
Buy Davidson Action Photos at DavidsonPhotos.com
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson men's tennis team returns to the courts after a successful Fall season by opening its Spring slate of matches this Saturday, Jan. 19, when it hosts ACC-foe Clemson, which is ranked 60th in the latest ITA National Tennis Rankings, at 3 p.m.
The Wildcats will open the season with six of their first eight matches on its homecourts in the Knobloch Tennis Center and Covington Tennis Courts. The Clemson match is the first of four straight at home to start the 2013 season.
In anticipation of a strong year, below is a look at the Davidson Men's Tennis 2013 Season Preview...
Now in their seventh season under the direction of head coach Drew Barrett, the Wildcats will enter the 2013 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 2012 season with a 7-14 overall record and 3-7 in league play. They saw their season end on a tightly-contested 4-3 decision against Chattanooga in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament.
This year's club will feature the return of 10 letterwinners, including the senior trio of former All-SoCon member and No. 1 singles player Joe Schafer, along with classmates Chris Mark and Kevin Moore. The trio were of one of Davidson's best recruiting classes in 2009, ranking in the top-25 mid-major according to tennisrecruiting.net.
In addition to those three, sophomore Nicky Kunz returns after earning a spot on the All-SoCon Freshman Team a season ago. The Wildcats also bring back two more of their top-six singles players who saw significant time in the starting lineup in Connor Evins and Robert Lightbourn. Add in four more letterwinners and a talented freshman, who will add to the depth of the starting lineup, and the Wildcats are primed for a solid 2013 season.
Singles
Davidson picked up 58 singles wins, four more than a year ago, and netted an even 30-30 record against SoCon opponents. The No. 3, 4 and 6 spots all had records of .500 or better.
•Senior Joe Schafer: The 'Cats main No. 1 singles player since his freshman season, hit the double-digit win total for the third straight season ... was named to the All-SoCon Freshman Team in 2010 and was a second-team performer in 2011 ... sported a 10-11 mark at No. 1 singles ... played 13 of 21 matches at the top spot ... went 4-3 at the No. 2 position ... opened junior season winning four of first five singles matches, including a three-setter at home vs. Richmond ... closed season with a pair of wins vs. College of Charleston and Chattanooga.
•Senior Chris Mark: Saw action at all three of the top singles spots, No. 1-3 ... finished with five wins, three of them coming at No. 3 ... all five wins came at home ... enters senior campaign with 27 career singles wins, 12 of them against the SoCon.
•Senior Kevin Moore: Saw action in one match a year ago ... was a doubles specialist, seeing action in 19 matches ... two year's ago was 7-11 overall, 5-9 at No. 6, in singles action ... has nine career singles wins, playing No. 4-6.
•Junior Theodore Bolton: Did not see any action in sophomore season.
•Junior Connor Evins: Had a strong sophomore season, going a personal-best 10-6 in singles play at No. 5-6 ... one of four Wildcats to reach the double-digit mark in wins ... went a team-best 7-3 vs. SoCon foes ... rattled off a team-best seven-match win streak, earning five of those wins against SoCon foes.
•Junior Ethan Kallick: Played in four singles matches last year ... netted a singles win against Wingate ... has seen action at No. 5 and 6 positions during first two years.
•Junior Robert Lightbourn: Awarded the team's Harry Fogleman Coach's Award ... earned an even 10-10 singles mark last year ... had second-best SoCon record on team at 6-4 ... netted all 10 wins at No. 5 spot ... rattled off a four-match win streak, with three of the wins coming at home.
•Sophomore Roger Irigoyen Berlanga: Did not play in any official matches during first year ... this past Fall played in a pair of doubles matches.
•Sophomore Nicky Kunz: Had a strong freshman campaign, capped off by being named to the All-SoCon Freshman Team ... also earned the team's Rob Palmer MVP ... went a team-best 13-8 in singles action with a 6-4 league mark ... was 7-3 at No. 3 position, while going a combined 6-5 at No. 2 and 4 ... rattled off a five-match win streak with three of those wins coming in three-setters.
•Sophomore Daniel Reitten: Did not see any action during freshman season ... this past Fall teamed with Berlanga in doubles for an 8-6 win.
Newcomer
•Alex Howard: Comes to Davidson from Brentwood, Tenn., playing at Brentwood ... played both No. 1 and No. 2 singles ... led team to an undefeated season in 2012 and a state title ... this past Fall with the Wildcats, won first singles flight title at No. 6 singles during Davidson's own tournament.
Doubles
Davidson's doubles teams again had a solid year a season ago, tallying 29 wins and 10 in league play after netting 32 and 15 in 2011. The 'Cats return nearly all three doubles teams from a season ago.
• No. 1 position: The Wildcats return half of their No. 1 team in Schafer ... he and Calum Gee went 10-8 at the top spot and started the year ranked, the first doubles team ever ranked at Davidson ... the duo won six of their first seven doubles matches, including running off a five-match win streak.
• No. 2 position: The Wildcats' used seven different combinations at the No. 2 spot ... Evins and Mark had the best mark at 2-2, while Kunz and Moore played five matches there.
• No. 3 position: Mark and Evins return to fill the last doubles slot ... the duo went 8-3 with a 3-4 SoCon mark ... the team finished with 10 combined wins between playing No. 2 and 3 ... Lightbourn and Moore went a perfect 2-0 in their matches at No. 3.
The Schedule
Davidson will open its 2013 season with four straight home matches, starting with a matchup against ACC-foe Clemson, Jan. 19. The two teams last faced each other in 2011 when the 'Cats nearly pulled off an upset of the then-No. 53 Tigers, falling 4-3.
During the home stretch, Davidson will also host Wingate, Presbyterian, and Gardner-Webb. After a two-match road trip to Temple and Saint Joseph, Davidson hosts Richmond and Lees-McCrae, Feb. 16. The Wildcats finished 5-6 at home a season ago.
The Wildcats' non-conference schedule also includes trips to UNC Wilmington and Coastal Carolina, while playing host to Binghamton. Those three teams combined to go 46-25, with UNCW (17-7) and Binghamton (15-12) reaching the NCAA Tournament. This will be the 'Cats first time facing the Bearcats, while it has faced the Seahawks and Chanticleer twice each since 1991.
The Wildcats will open SoCon play at home against Chattanooga, Mar. 6. They went 1-1 last year against the Mocs, but UTC ended the 'Cats' season with a 4-3 win in the first round of the SoCon Tournament.
Three of the next four league matches will be on the road, starting with a trip to Charleston, S.C., to face The Citadel and College of Charleston, March 8-10. Davidson owns an 18-4 record all-time against the Bulldogs.
Davidson will have four of its final seven SoCon matches at home, starting with a matchup against Elon, March 13. The Wildcats will also host Georgia Southern, Samford and UNCG.
The SoCon Tournament takes place April 18-21 in Burlington, N.C. as Elon plays host this year. CofC took home last year's tournament title, its first since 2003 and second since joining the conference. CofC and Samford tied for the regular season title with 9-1 SoCon marks.
Davidson is 11-13 since 1988 in the SoCon Tournament.
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