Marshall University Athletics
@Herd_Tennis Hosts Minnesota to End Homestand
1/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall women's tennis team wraps up its four-match homestand Saturday evening when it takes on the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Huntington Tennis Club. First serve is set for 5 p.m.
HAVE YOU HERD?
Marshall improved to 2-1 on the season following a 7-0 win over Wisconsin on Jan. 21. The Herd won every match that was completed, taking the doubles matches at the Nos. 1 and 3 spots and winning all six singles matches.
Marshall boasts a trio of players with 3-0 singles records. Reigning Conference USA Player of the Year Derya Turhan has not dropped a set this year. Stephanie Smith also boasts a pair of straight-sets wins. Freshman Daniela Dankanych won a third set tiebreaker against Wisconsin to maintain her perfect record.
The doubles pair of Rachael Morales and Maddie Silver is also unblemished this season, as the duo is currently 2-0, including a win over No. 20 Kentucky. Silver and Morales have won 14 straight doubles matches when paired together, a streak that dates back to the final regular season match of the 2015 spring season against VCU.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
Minnesota is 2-0 after opening its season with wins over Northern Illinois and South Dakota State last weekend. The Golden Gophers won 13 of the 14 matches contested, dropping just the No. 1 doubles match against Northern Illinois.
Minnesota finished the 2016 season with a 13-12 record. The Golden Gophers went 5-6 in Big Ten Conference play and lost to Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Minnesota boasted a 10-3 record at home but was just 2-6 away from Minneapolis.
Minnesota returns three players who had winning records in the 2016 dual match season. The Golden Gophers are led by Caroline Ryba, who was 12-8 at the No. 1 singles spot last season, and Camila Vargas Gomez, who was 10-9 playing out of the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 spots. The duo of Mehvish Safdar and Caitlyn Merzbacher is the top returning doubles pair for the Golden Gophers. The pair compiled a 10-9 dual match record playing out of the No. 3 doubles spot.
THE LAST MEETING
Marshall 4, No. 71 Minnesota 3
Feb. 15, 2015
Marshall improved to 5-2 on the season with a 4-3 win over Minnesota. The win was the first over a ranked opponent for the Herd on the season. Marshall finished with five wins over ranked opponents and reached the Conference USA championship match that season.
The doubles pairs of Turhan and Pomyatinskaya and Silver and Morales took their doubles matches at the Nos. 1 and 3 spots to clinch the doubles point for the Herd.
Turhan, Silver and Pomyatinskaya each won singles matches for the Herd at the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 spots to clinch the match. Silver's 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over Ryba was the match clincher for the Herd. Turhan won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, and Pomyatinskaya dropped the second set but took the first and third sets in a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win.
Five of the six players in that match for the Herd are on the 2017 roster (Turhan, Silver, Pomyatinskaya, Morales and Marija Bogicevic).
#ONEHERD
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UP NEXT
The Herd hits the road for the first time this season when it takes on Cincinnati on Feb. 3. The Herd is 18-1 against the Bearcats, including a 6-1 win last year in Huntington.
