Saturday, January 18
Blacksburg, Va.
10:00 a.m.
Davidson College
vs
No. 59 Yale
The senior trio of Ethan Kallick, Connor Evins and Robert Lightbourn
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
A Pair of Road Matches Opens M. Tennis' 2014 Season
1/14/2014 11:45:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
2014 Schedule
2014 Roster
2014 Quick Facts
2014 Record Book (pdf)
DavidsonPhotos.com
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson men's tennis team gears up for the start of the 2014 season by hitting the road this weekend for a pair of matches against Yale and Virginia Tech, Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18-19. The will be held on the campus of Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
Four of the Wildcats' first five matches are on the road to open the season. They will also play at Auburn and Alabama A&M (Feb. 1-2), while hosting state-border rival Winthrop, Jan. 26.
Davidson will be looking to snap a four-match skid in season-opening matches. A year ago they hosted No. 60 Clemson and fell 7-0, but battled the Tigers at every position. This will be the fifth time in the last seven years the 'Cats have opened the season on the road.
In anticipation of a strong year, below is a look at the Davidson Men's Tennis 2014 Season Preview...
Now in their eighth season under the direction of head coach Drew Barrett, the Wildcats will enter the 2014 campaign seeking the program's 10th SoCon Tournament title as Davidson returns a solid core of players from a season ago.
It was a successful campaign in 2013 as Davidson finished with a 12-9 overall record and 5-5 in league play. They saw their season end in the second round of the Southern Conference Tournament, a 4-1 decision vs. Samford. The Wildcats moved to the next round after a solid 4-1 victory against Wofford. Seniors Joe Schafer, Chris Mark and Kevin Moore were each honored by the league, with Schafer earning the Sportsmanship Award, and Mark and Moore being named All-SoCon Second Team at No. 1 doubles.
This year's club will feature the return of five letterwinners, including the senior trio of Connor Evins, Ethan Kallick and Robert Lightbourn. Add in a talented freshmen group of four, who will add to the depth of the starting lineup, and the Wildcats are primed for a solid 2013 season and their final year in the SoCon.
Singles
Davidson picked up 54 singles wins and netted 24 of those wins against SoCon opponents. The No. 2, 4 and 5 spots all had records of .500 or better.
•Senior Ted Bolton: Returners to the team after a year away ... during this past Fall, played in both of Davidson's invitationals ... scored a solid 7-5, 7-6 triumph vs. Winthrop at the Jeff Frank Invitational.
•Senior Connor Evins: Had a solid junior season, earning the team's Most Improved Award ... tied for the team-high with 11 singles wins, getting nine of them at the No. 5 position ... went 6-4 in league play ... ended last year on a three-match win streak, including winning twice in the SoCon Tournament ... played in six three-set matches, winning five of them a year ago.
•Senior Ethan Kallick: Played in a pair of singles matches last year ... scored a 6-0, 6-1 triumph vs. Brevard College in first singles match at No. 5 ... has seen action at No. 5 and 6 positions during his Wildcat career ... in Fall of 2013, played in both of Davidson's home invitaitonals ... picked up a super tie-breaker win vs. his Elon opponent, 3-6, 6-3, 10-3.
•Senior Robert Lightbourn: Awarded the team's Mike Derian Attitude Award ... saw action in 17 singles matches, netting six wins ... three of those wins came in SoCon play ... went 5-6 at No. 4 singles, while seeing action in six matches at No. 3.
•Sophomore 3Alex Howard#: Stepped right into lineup as a freshman, playing at No. 3-6 positions ... went 5-8 in first year ... was 1-4 in league matches ... had a combined 3-0 record at No. 3-5 slot ... won first collegiate singles match against Wingate with a 7-6, 6-2 victory at No. 5 ... scored first SoCon win with a three-set triumph against The Citadel, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 ... scored a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 6 to help Davidson earn a victory against Wofford in the first round of the SoCon Tournament ... during Fall of 2013, saw action in all four events.
•Sophomore Evan Watkins: Did not see any action as a freshman ... played in four Wildcat Fall events in 2013 ... won first career event, a 7-5, 6-4 decision vs. USC Upstate at the Jeff Frank Invitational ... reached the finals of the D-1 Singles bracket at the Wake Forest Invite ... scored a win at the UNCW Invitational as well as picking up a doubles victory with Lightbourn.
Newcomers
•Freshman #J.B. Gough#: A five-year letterwinner at Roxbury Latin in Boston, Mass. ... was No. 1 singles and doubles player there ... three-time all-league honoree ... netted first Fall collegiate win at Davidson's Jim Causey Invite, a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at No. 6 position vs. Appalachian State ... scored a three-set victory against Richmond, 6-1, 6-7, 6-2, at the UNC Wilmington Invitational.
•Freshman Jordan Hart: A native of McKinney, Texas, where he was an all-district singles and doubles player all four years at McKinney North ... a Texas state 4A singles champion in 2012 & 2013 ... scored a pair of singles wins at the UNCW Invitational ... finished with 10 points at the Jim Causey Invite, scoring a pair of singles wins ... won the consolation finals in the D-2 singles at the Wake Forest Invite and added a couple of singles wins to lead Davidson at the UNCW Invitational.
•Freshman Ricky Saad: Comes to Davidson from Wyomissing Area in Reading, Pa. ... was a four-time all-state performer and a four-time Berks County Player of the Year ... scored 12 points in first collegiate Fall event, the Jeff Frank Invite ... netted a 6-2, 6-2 decision vs. Richmond at the UNCW Invite.
•Freshman Zack Zapatero: Was the No. 1 singles and doubles player at Cape Henry Collegiate at Virginia Beach, Va. ... led Cape to the D-I state title last year ... named the 2013 Virginia State Player of the Year ... started collegiate career off with a bang, pacing the Wildcats with 20 points at the Jeff Frank Invite, earning a couple of singles and doubles wins.
Doubles
Davidson's doubles teams again had a solid year a season ago, tallying 28 wins and 15 in league play after netting 29 and 19, respectively, in 2012. The 'Cats, who used five doubles teams, will have to replace their No. 1 team as well as two other players from their No. 2 and 3 teams.
• No. 1 position: The Wildcats will have a new No. 1 team in 2014 after the graduation of Chris Mark and Kevin Moore, who went 9-10 overall and 8-6 at the top spot ... they were 4-6 vs. the SoCon ... to duo rattled off a five-match win streak early in the year ... Kallick and Joe Schafer also saw action at No. 1, going 2-3.
• No. 2 position: Davidson brings back half of its No. 2 team with the return of Kallick ... he and Schafer went 6-3 (3-2 vs. SoCon) at No. 2 and were 8-6 overall ... they finished the year on a two-match win streak ... Lightbourn saw action in one match at No. 2.
• No. 3 position: Lightbourn and Evins return after splitting time with Nicky Kunz ... Lightbourn and?Kunz played 11 matches at No. 3, going 6-5 and 4-2 vs. the league ... they went 7-5 overall ... Evins earned three wins with Kunz ... Davidson was 9-9 overall at the No. 3 doubles slot.
Schedule
Davidson will open its 2013 season with a pair of matches on the road at Virginia Tech and vs. Yale on Tech's campus. The Wildcats play four of their first five matches on the road, and will have a six-match road swing during the middle of the season.
The Wildcats will open SoCon play on the road against Georgia Southern, March 7. They won 5-2 last year vs. the Eagles and hold a 13-9 lead in the series. Last year saw the 'Cats netted league wins against Chattanooga, The Citadel, GSU, Wofford and Furman.
Four of the first five SoCon matches will be on the road, with trips to Southern, Elon, Samford and Chattanooga.
Davidson closes the season at home against Furman and College of Charleston. The 'Cats will look to avenge a pair of 4-3 setbacks to both teams a year ago.
The SoCon Tournament takes place April 16-19 in Chattanooga, Tenn., as Chattanooga plays host this year. Samford, which went 7-3 in league play during the regular season and finished 15-10 overall, took home the title last year with a 4-3 victory over Elon.
Davidson is 12-14 since 1988 in the SoCon Tournament and has reached the second round in two of the past three seasons.
2014 Roster
2014 Quick Facts
2014 Record Book (pdf)
DavidsonPhotos.com
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson men's tennis team gears up for the start of the 2014 season by hitting the road this weekend for a pair of matches against Yale and Virginia Tech, Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18-19. The will be held on the campus of Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
Four of the Wildcats' first five matches are on the road to open the season. They will also play at Auburn and Alabama A&M (Feb. 1-2), while hosting state-border rival Winthrop, Jan. 26.
Davidson will be looking to snap a four-match skid in season-opening matches. A year ago they hosted No. 60 Clemson and fell 7-0, but battled the Tigers at every position. This will be the fifth time in the last seven years the 'Cats have opened the season on the road.
In anticipation of a strong year, below is a look at the Davidson Men's Tennis 2014 Season Preview...
Now in their eighth season under the direction of head coach Drew Barrett, the Wildcats will enter the 2014 campaign seeking the program's 10th SoCon Tournament title as Davidson returns a solid core of players from a season ago.
It was a successful campaign in 2013 as Davidson finished with a 12-9 overall record and 5-5 in league play. They saw their season end in the second round of the Southern Conference Tournament, a 4-1 decision vs. Samford. The Wildcats moved to the next round after a solid 4-1 victory against Wofford. Seniors Joe Schafer, Chris Mark and Kevin Moore were each honored by the league, with Schafer earning the Sportsmanship Award, and Mark and Moore being named All-SoCon Second Team at No. 1 doubles.
This year's club will feature the return of five letterwinners, including the senior trio of Connor Evins, Ethan Kallick and Robert Lightbourn. Add in a talented freshmen group of four, who will add to the depth of the starting lineup, and the Wildcats are primed for a solid 2013 season and their final year in the SoCon.
Singles
Davidson picked up 54 singles wins and netted 24 of those wins against SoCon opponents. The No. 2, 4 and 5 spots all had records of .500 or better.
•Senior Ted Bolton: Returners to the team after a year away ... during this past Fall, played in both of Davidson's invitationals ... scored a solid 7-5, 7-6 triumph vs. Winthrop at the Jeff Frank Invitational.
•Senior Connor Evins: Had a solid junior season, earning the team's Most Improved Award ... tied for the team-high with 11 singles wins, getting nine of them at the No. 5 position ... went 6-4 in league play ... ended last year on a three-match win streak, including winning twice in the SoCon Tournament ... played in six three-set matches, winning five of them a year ago.
•Senior Ethan Kallick: Played in a pair of singles matches last year ... scored a 6-0, 6-1 triumph vs. Brevard College in first singles match at No. 5 ... has seen action at No. 5 and 6 positions during his Wildcat career ... in Fall of 2013, played in both of Davidson's home invitaitonals ... picked up a super tie-breaker win vs. his Elon opponent, 3-6, 6-3, 10-3.
•Senior Robert Lightbourn: Awarded the team's Mike Derian Attitude Award ... saw action in 17 singles matches, netting six wins ... three of those wins came in SoCon play ... went 5-6 at No. 4 singles, while seeing action in six matches at No. 3.
•Sophomore 3Alex Howard#: Stepped right into lineup as a freshman, playing at No. 3-6 positions ... went 5-8 in first year ... was 1-4 in league matches ... had a combined 3-0 record at No. 3-5 slot ... won first collegiate singles match against Wingate with a 7-6, 6-2 victory at No. 5 ... scored first SoCon win with a three-set triumph against The Citadel, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 ... scored a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 6 to help Davidson earn a victory against Wofford in the first round of the SoCon Tournament ... during Fall of 2013, saw action in all four events.
•Sophomore Evan Watkins: Did not see any action as a freshman ... played in four Wildcat Fall events in 2013 ... won first career event, a 7-5, 6-4 decision vs. USC Upstate at the Jeff Frank Invitational ... reached the finals of the D-1 Singles bracket at the Wake Forest Invite ... scored a win at the UNCW Invitational as well as picking up a doubles victory with Lightbourn.
Newcomers
•Freshman #J.B. Gough#: A five-year letterwinner at Roxbury Latin in Boston, Mass. ... was No. 1 singles and doubles player there ... three-time all-league honoree ... netted first Fall collegiate win at Davidson's Jim Causey Invite, a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at No. 6 position vs. Appalachian State ... scored a three-set victory against Richmond, 6-1, 6-7, 6-2, at the UNC Wilmington Invitational.
•Freshman Jordan Hart: A native of McKinney, Texas, where he was an all-district singles and doubles player all four years at McKinney North ... a Texas state 4A singles champion in 2012 & 2013 ... scored a pair of singles wins at the UNCW Invitational ... finished with 10 points at the Jim Causey Invite, scoring a pair of singles wins ... won the consolation finals in the D-2 singles at the Wake Forest Invite and added a couple of singles wins to lead Davidson at the UNCW Invitational.
•Freshman Ricky Saad: Comes to Davidson from Wyomissing Area in Reading, Pa. ... was a four-time all-state performer and a four-time Berks County Player of the Year ... scored 12 points in first collegiate Fall event, the Jeff Frank Invite ... netted a 6-2, 6-2 decision vs. Richmond at the UNCW Invite.
•Freshman Zack Zapatero: Was the No. 1 singles and doubles player at Cape Henry Collegiate at Virginia Beach, Va. ... led Cape to the D-I state title last year ... named the 2013 Virginia State Player of the Year ... started collegiate career off with a bang, pacing the Wildcats with 20 points at the Jeff Frank Invite, earning a couple of singles and doubles wins.
Doubles
Davidson's doubles teams again had a solid year a season ago, tallying 28 wins and 15 in league play after netting 29 and 19, respectively, in 2012. The 'Cats, who used five doubles teams, will have to replace their No. 1 team as well as two other players from their No. 2 and 3 teams.
• No. 1 position: The Wildcats will have a new No. 1 team in 2014 after the graduation of Chris Mark and Kevin Moore, who went 9-10 overall and 8-6 at the top spot ... they were 4-6 vs. the SoCon ... to duo rattled off a five-match win streak early in the year ... Kallick and Joe Schafer also saw action at No. 1, going 2-3.
• No. 2 position: Davidson brings back half of its No. 2 team with the return of Kallick ... he and Schafer went 6-3 (3-2 vs. SoCon) at No. 2 and were 8-6 overall ... they finished the year on a two-match win streak ... Lightbourn saw action in one match at No. 2.
• No. 3 position: Lightbourn and Evins return after splitting time with Nicky Kunz ... Lightbourn and?Kunz played 11 matches at No. 3, going 6-5 and 4-2 vs. the league ... they went 7-5 overall ... Evins earned three wins with Kunz ... Davidson was 9-9 overall at the No. 3 doubles slot.
Schedule
Davidson will open its 2013 season with a pair of matches on the road at Virginia Tech and vs. Yale on Tech's campus. The Wildcats play four of their first five matches on the road, and will have a six-match road swing during the middle of the season.
The Wildcats will open SoCon play on the road against Georgia Southern, March 7. They won 5-2 last year vs. the Eagles and hold a 13-9 lead in the series. Last year saw the 'Cats netted league wins against Chattanooga, The Citadel, GSU, Wofford and Furman.
Four of the first five SoCon matches will be on the road, with trips to Southern, Elon, Samford and Chattanooga.
Davidson closes the season at home against Furman and College of Charleston. The 'Cats will look to avenge a pair of 4-3 setbacks to both teams a year ago.
The SoCon Tournament takes place April 16-19 in Chattanooga, Tenn., as Chattanooga plays host this year. Samford, which went 7-3 in league play during the regular season and finished 15-10 overall, took home the title last year with a 4-3 victory over Elon.
Davidson is 12-14 since 1988 in the SoCon Tournament and has reached the second round in two of the past three seasons.
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