Marshall University Athletics
@Herd_Tennis Opens Spring Schedule at Pitt
1/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
PITTSBURGH ââ'¬" Marshall tennis opens its 2016 dual match season when it travels to the Nishan Vartabedian Spring Invitational hosted by University of Pittsburgh.
The Thundering Herd will face Pitt on Friday at 9 a.m., followed by Akron on Saturday at 9 a.m. and Miami (Ohio) on Sunday at 8 a.m.
Returning to the Herd are six members from last year's team that went to the Conference USA Championship ââ'¬" sophomores Marija Bogicevic (Belgrade, Serbia), Maddie Silver (East Grand Rapids, Mich.); juniors Anne Gulsrud (Stavanger, Norway), Rachael Morales (Columbus, Ohio), Anna Pomyatinskaya (Sochi, Russia), and Derya Turhan (Bad Salzuflen, Germany).
Last season, Turhan and Pomyatinskaya earned All-Conference USA first team singles honors, while receiving second team accolades in doubles. Silver was selected as an All-Conference USA second team singles selection. Morales was chosen to the third team in singles.
HAVE YOU HERD?
Marshall will start the dual match season ranked No. 52 in the nation in the Oracle/ITA College Tennis Rankings, which were announced on Jan. 5 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Additionally, Turhan was ranked No. 99 in the national singles rankings, while also earning No. 12 in the ITA Atlantic singles rankings.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Pittsburgh enters the weekend looking to rebound from a 2-18 season last year. The Panthers' two wins came on the same day against in-town rival Duquesne and Eastern Michigan on Feb. 14, 2015.
During the fall schedule, Pittsburgh was led by Callie Frey. Frey had an 11-6 record, including one win over a nationally ranked opponent.
SCOUTING THE ZIPS
Akron finished the previous year with an 11-11 overall record and a 3-5 conference record. The Zips finished the season with a two-match winning streak with wins at Buffalo and against Northern Illinois.
Returning for Akron is a sophomore duo of Ariadna Blinova and Sophia Geier. Bilnova led the Zips with a 21-10 record last season, while Blinova went 20-11.
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Miami (Ohio) joins the invitational as the three-time defending MAC champion, featuring six players from last year's team that went 16-7 and a perfect 8-0 in conference. The RedHawks fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 11 Michigan.
In the fall season, Miami was led by Emily Struble with an 8-5 singles record, while five other members of the team had at least five wins in singles play.
UP NEXT
The Herd will travel to the National Team Indoor in Chapel Hill, N.C., to face Tulsa on Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. and either North Carolina or Yale on Jan. 23.
