Marshall University Athletics
Herd Tennis Ranked No. 65 in First Poll of 2006
1/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Jan. 11, 2006
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - In the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings of 2006, the Marshall Thundering Herd tennis team is ranked No. 65 in the nation.
The Herd is the second highest ranked team in Conference USA, with the Rice Owls coming in ranked No. 51. The only other C-USA teams in the rankings are SMU and Tulsa. The Mustangs are No. 66 right behind the Herd and the Golden Hurricane is No. 73 in the top 75.
Marshall enters the 2006 season with a handful of new talent to replace the four starters lost to graduation from last year's team that won the Herd's fourth consecutive Mid-American Conference Tournament title.
The Herd finished 19-8 and lost to Kentucky in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
In 2006, the Thundering Herd is scheduled to face six ranked teams including three top 20 teams in Georgia, Kentucky and William and Mary. The Herd will be hosting two of those matches this season with Kentucky and William and Mary coming to Huntington. Marshall's other ranked opponents are South Alabama (31), Denver (52) and Virginia (72).
"We think No. 65 is a good place to start for us," Marshall head coach John Mercer said. "We're looking forward to starting the season and playing a great schedule with several top 50 teams. We should be competitive and hopefully we'll be able to post some good results and keep moving up."
The Herd gets things started next Friday when it plays host to Richmond at 11 a.m. and Wright State at 5 p.m. at the Huntington Tennis Club. The next day, the Herd hosts No. 13 ranked Kentucky.
