Marshall University Athletics
Herd Tennis Squad Claims MAC Crown
4/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Herd Tennis Squad Claims MAC Crown
4/19/2003
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The Marshall University women?s tennis team won the Mid-American Conference regular season title on Saturday with a 6-1 triumph over Eastern Michigan.
Marshall (16-7, 9-0 MAC) upended the defending MAC champion Eagles to win its first regular season conference championship since the 1999-2000 season. Last season the Thundering Herd won the MAC tournament for the first time in school history.
Marshall opened the match by capturing the doubles point for the 16th consecutive time. After Marshall?s number one doubles team of Jessica Johnson and Alice Sukner fell to Lisa D?Amelio and Rebecca Hawkins 8-2, the Thundering Herd used a pair of 8-2 victories to get the important point. Ashley Kroh and Lille Nzudie defeated Ying Kansuthi and Kendra Clark while Danielle Hock and Meghan Skalsky defeated Amalia Lincaru and Julie Ryan in the deciding match.
The Thundering Herd followed with five impressive singles victories to capture the MAC regular season title. The only loss for the Thundering Herd in singles came at the number two position, where Alice Sukner fell to D?Amelio 4-6, 7-5 (10-4). Marshall captured the title with three straight set victories. In the number one position, Johnson defeated Hawkins while Kroh defeated Clark in the number four position and Nzudie defeated Lincaru in the number five position.
Hock and Joelle Good also claimed victories to give the Thundering Herd the 6-1 victory.
Marshall will now head into the MAC Tournament as the favorite to earn their second consecutive berth into the NCAA Tournament as the number one seed. The tournament will begin on Friday, April 25, in Ypsilanti, Mich. The time and opponent for the Thundering Herd has yet to be determined.
Marshall 6, E. Michigan 1
Scores:
Doubles
#1 - Lisa D'Amelio/Rebecca Hawkins (EMU) def. Jessica Johnson/Alice Sukner (MU)8-2
#2 - Ashley Kroh/Lille Nzudie (MU) def. Ying Kansuthi/Kendra Clark (EMU) 8-2
#3 - Danielle Hock/Meghan Skalsky (MU) def. Amalia Lincaru/Julie Ryan (EMU) 8-2
Singles
#1 - Johnson (MU) def. Hawkins (EMU) 6-4, 6-2
#2 - D'Amelio (EMU) def. Sukner (MU) 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (4)
#3 - Hock (MU) def. Kansuthi (EMU) 6-4, 7-6 (3)
#4 - Kroh (MU) def. Clark (EMU) 6-2, 6-3
#5 - Nzudie (MU) def. Lincaru (EMU) 6-7 (7), 6-1, 1-0 (3)
#6 - Joelle Good (MU) def. Ryan (EMU) 1-6, 6-1, 6-2
