Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
UNLV
Smith Sisters Win, Herd Drops Match to UNLV
3/21/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Final Stats | Final Stats (PDF)
LAS VEGAS -- Senior Stephanie Smith defeated her second ranked opponent of the season, while freshman Anna Smith won her fourth straight match, but visiting Marshall was defeated by UNLV, 5-2, Wednesday afternoon at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.
Marshall dropped to 2-14 on the season following the loss, while UNLV extended its home win streak to eight matches and is now 9-4 on the season.
Marshall dropped the doubles point to the Rebels after playing shorthanded due to injuries sustained earlier in the season. Maddie Silver and Stephanie Smith were defeated by Aiwen Zhu and En-Pei Huang, 6-2, at the top spot. Anna Smith and Marija Bogicevic fell to UNLV's Juliet Zhang and Izumi Asano, 6-3.
After dropping another point to the Rebels at No. 6 due to being shorthanded, UNLV clinched the match with consecutive wins at the Nos. 3 and 5 spots. Ana Marhuenda fell to Jovana Kelic in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1, while Bogicevic was defeated by Huang, 6-3, 6-2.
Stephanie Smith snapped No. 53 Aiwen Zhu's 10-match win streak, defeating the three-time Mountain West Conference Player of the Week in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4. Anna Smith used a third set tiebreaker to win for the fifth time in her last six matches, 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8), over Anna Bogoslavets.
"Great win for Stephanie today," head coach John Mercer said. "She beat the No. 53 player in the country in straight sets. UNLV coaches told us it was her first loss of the spring season, so it's a great win for Stephanie. Anna and Marija played well in doubles again and Anna was also able to win her singles match, which was good to see."
The Herd finishes its west coast road swing Friday at 1 p.m. against the Denver Pioneers in a neutral-site match. The day and time for that match could be pushed up or back due to impending weather in the Las Vegas area.
Players Mentioned
