Marshall University Athletics
Herd Tennis Ready to Get Season Started Friday
1/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Jan. 19, 2006
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The 2006 season marks the dawn of a new era for the Marshall Thundering Herd tennis team as the Herd ushers in the upcoming year with several fresh faces and a change in scenery.
Marshall, ranked No. 65 in the nation, opens the season against Richmond and Wright State Friday at the Huntington Tennis Club in Barboursville at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. respectively. The Herd will then face No. 13 ranked Kentucky at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
"It should be an exciting weekend for us," Marshall head coach John Mercer said. "Richmond should provide a tough challenge for us in the opening match and we're looking forward to seeing where we stand with this new team."
The lineup for the Herd in 2006 will look a lot different, gone are the likes of Ashley Kroh, Lille Nzudie, Danielle Hock and Joelle Good that graced the starting lineup for the Herd for four consecutive years. Now, a fresh crop of talent has arrived to help carry on the legacy built by the departed seniors and the classes before them.
The Herd won four-straight Mid-American Conference tournament titles from 2002-20005 and cast a dominating shadow over the league en route to the automatic NCAA Tournament bid on each of the four occasions. Now, the task ahead brings the Herd into new territory with new challenges awaiting in Conference USA.
But those challenges will be met head on by an eager squad ready to prove they belong among the nation's elite. In doing that, the Herd will take on a very difficult slate of competition this season. Marshall and head coach John Mercer know that to get to where the Herd wants to be, playing a tough schedule is the only way to get to the upper echelon.
"We've been able to compete with the top players in the country on an individual level and that's been great, but now we want to collect wins against top 20 programs," Mercer said. "We've been on the verge, but hopefully now we can make it to where want to be. I think we have the talent and with the time and work ethic, we can make it to that level."
Marshall's schedule in 2006 should provide plenty of challenges and opportunities to reach the level Mercer and the team hope to achieve. Marshall has matches with seven teams ranked in the first ITA poll of 2006 including tilts with top 20 teams Georgia, Kentucky and William and Mary. Marshall does not play a Conference USA Regular Season schedule, only a tournament to decide the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, but the Herd will be ready for anyone at any place.
"This year, we have another great schedule and we think we have a very competitive team to do well against that schedule. We want to prepare for the Conference USA Tournament and continue to improve throughout the year. If we do that we have a chance for another special season."
The Herd's lineup this year includes two returners from last year's starting six in sophomores Jeanne Schwartz and Shannon Brown. Both players got a lot of court experience last year as they helped the Herd to its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament. Now with a year of playing experience under their belts, Mercer is looking for good things out of the pair this season.
"Jeanne and Shannon learned a lot last year," he said. "This year they have much more diversity in their games and improved a lot on creating and working the points. This fall they played very well and showed a lot of talent against top of the line players from quality teams."
Senior Holly Asel also returns for the Herd to provide veteran leadership.
Joining Schwartz, Brown and Asel is a quartet of newcomers that show a lot of promise and potential as the Herd readies for the upcoming season. Coming to Huntington to wear the Green and White this season are Lynzee Kever, a junior whom transferred from the University of Colorado. Kever was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in her freshman season with the Buffaloes and should bring a solid force to the top of the Herd lineup. Kellie Schmitt, Karolina Soor and Jessica Keener are all freshmen this season and should see considerable court time.
"Those four are the best recruiting class we've had since we've been here," Mercer said. "They're going to do nothing but get better and we're excited to see where they take us in the future."
The players are all looking forward to getting on the court and playing some different competition.
"We all came back from the break excited and ready to play our first match," Schwartz said. "I think we've worked really hard and are ready to come together and get the season started."
In 2006, it will certainly be a dawn of many new things, but the future looks bright and the future is now, starting Friday with Richmond and Wright State.
"We have a very competitive team from top to bottom that shows up to fight from the first point to the last point and that gives us a lot of potential," Mercer said.
