Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Virginia Tech
Herd Tennis Drops Grueling Match 4-3 to Virginia Tech
3/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 4, 2006
For the second time this season the Thundering Herd dropped a hard-fought match to a Virginia school from the Atlantic Coast Conference, this time at the hands of the Virginia Tech Hokies Satuday afternoon at the Huntington Tennis Club.
Saturday's match against the Hokies came down to the last match on as Tech's Abbey Walker battled Marshall's Jessica Keener in the No. 6 position. Walker would take the first set 6-3, but the Herd freshman would fight back and force a second set with a 6-3 win of her own. Behind a tough service game, Walker would eventually prevail and seal the match for the Hokies with 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Keener.
The loss drops Marshall 9-4 on the year and Virginia Tech improves to 7-3 with the victory.
The Hokies struck first in the match by taking the doubles point from the Herd. Virginia Tech would win at the two and three positions to take a 1-0 advantage into singles play.
Inga Beerman and Walker defeated Jeanne Schwartz and Keener 8-6 at No. 2 doubles and in a tough battle on court three, Ashley James and Jessica Long would pull out a 9-7 win. James and Long held a 7-2 lead, but Shannon Brown and Karolina Soor would fight back to tie it at seven games a piece. The Hokies would win the next two games to wrap up the doubles point.
Marshall's Lynzee Kever and Kellie Schmitt improved to 12-1 on the year in doubles with an 8-4 win over Anat Elazari and J.J. Larson.
In singles, Marshall would get on the board first with a pair of convincing wins from Schmitt and Schwartz from the No. 2 and 4 positions respectively. The freshman Schmitt downed Tech's former No. 1 player Elazari 6-4, 6-2 and Schwartz was a 6-4, 6-3 victor over Long.
After Larson defeated Soor on court five 6-4, 6-2, James gave Virginia Tech a 3-2 lead in the match after beating Brown 6-4, 6-2 at No. 3.
Marshall was on the verge of defeat as Kever trailed 5-2, down a set in the second, but the junior would come up huge with a strong comeback to force a third set and keep the Herd hopes alive. Kever then put on a tough, gritty performance to push by Beerman in the third set for a 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 win to tie the match at three all.
However, Walker would finish off the 4-3 win for Virginia Tech with her 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Keener.
Virginia Tech now leads the all-time series with Marshall 8-4.
The Thundering Herd will have a week to regroup before heading to Mobile, Ala., to take on No. 34 ranked South Alabama next Saturday at 11 a.m.
Players Mentioned
