Tennis Opens Spring Season at (RV) Kentucky

MATCH ONE
Marshall (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) at Kentucky (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Wednesday, Jan. 16 | 11 a.m.
Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Center | Lexington, Ky.
Scoring/Statistics | Twitter (@Herd_Tennis) | Match Notes

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall women's tennis begins its 49th season of dual match competition Wednesday morning when it takes on the (RV) Kentucky Wildcats in the regular season opener for both teams. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Center.

HAVE YOU HERD?
Marshall and Kentucky are meeting for the 16th time in program history and the first time since 2017, a 4-0 win for the Wildcats in Huntington. Marshall has not made the trip to Lexington since 2014, a match that Kentucky won 6-1.

Marshall is seeking its first win over Kentucky since a 5-2 win in Huntington during the 2011 season. The Herd has one win all-time in Lexington, a 6-1 defeat of the Wildcats in 2010.

Marshall is seeking its first win over a Power Five conference opponent (ACC, Big Ten, Big XII, Pac 12, SEC) since a 4-0 win over Penn State in 2017 and its first road win over a Power Five opponent since a 5-2 win over Virginia Tech earlier that year. Marshall had four wins over Power Five opponents that season, as the Herd also knocked off Wisconsin and Minnesota during that season. The Thundering Herd has not defeated an SEC opponent since knocking off Kentucky in 2011.

INSIDE THE RANKINGS
Kentucky begins the 2019 dual match season as one of four teams receiving votes in the poll. The ITA will revert back to the computer poll following the indoor championships in February.

This is Marshall's first match against a top-30 opponent since facing Kentucky in 2017 in Huntington. Marshall hasn't faced a top-30 opponent away from home since falling to then-No. 28 South Carolina in 2015 in a neutral site match. The Herd has not faced a top-30 opponent in an away match since falling to Kentucky in 2014 when the Wildcats were ranked 28th.

Marshall is seeking its first win over a top-30 opponent since defeating then-No. 27 SMU in the 2010 Conference USA Tournament.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Marshall entered the fall season as the only team in Conference USA to not have a junior or senior on its roster. While that stat has changed, the Herd still boasts the youngest roster in Conference USA in terms of experience, as four of its six players are freshmen, while the Herd returns just one player from its 2017-18 team.

Marshall's three freshmen who played in the fall each made an impact on the court and etched their names into the record books. Victoria Walter tied Rachael Morales' mark for most singles wins by a freshman in a fall season with nine, while Liz Stefancic and Madi Ballow won six matches apiece, which is tied for ninth in school history for wins in a fall season by a freshman. Walter and Stefancic each made it through qualifiers at the ITA Atlantic Regional, with Walter reaching the second round of the tournament.

Anna Smith, the Herd's lone returning player from the 2017-18 team, continued her development from last season to this season with seven singles wins, a five-win improvement from her win total during the fall 2017 season.

WELCOME BACK
A familiar face has returned to the courts in Huntington, as Daniela Dankanych will make her Marshall return Wednesday after missing the last two semesters for the Herd. Dankanych won six singles matches in each of her first three semesters at Marshall and has a combined 36 wins in her career (18 singles, 18 doubles).

MAKING HISTORY
When Matilde Mulatero steps on the court Wednesday, she will make school history as the first Italian to ever play for the Herd. Mulatero is from Givoletto, which is about 15 miles northwest of Turin. Mulatero will also become the first freshman to join the team mid-season since Derya Turhan did so prior to the 2014 spring season.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Kentucky finished the 2018 spring season with a 14-11 record and made the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season, falling in the first round to Kansas State. The Wildcats return six players from last year's NCAA Tournament team, including three players who were on the team when Kentucky faced Marshall in 2017. Lesedi Jacobs, Justina Mikulskyte and Akvile Parazinskaite each won singles matches against Marshall two years ago, with Jacobs and Mikulskyte also teaming up to win a doubles match against the Herd.

Parazinskaite is the top returning player for Kentucky after finishing the season ranked 102nd in the country in the final ITA rankings.

Kentucky has not lost to an opponent from outside the Power Five conferences since losing its 2015 season opener at Hawaii, a streak that spans 26 matches. The Wildcats have not lost a home match to a non-Power Five opponent since falling to Tulane in 2013, a streak that has reached 25 matches.

UP NEXT
Marshall begins its home slate 10 days after facing the Wildcats when it takes on Wright State and West Virginia State in a doubleheader on Jan. 26. First serve for the match between the Herd and Raiders is scheduled for 1 p.m. with the in-state battle between the Herd and Yellow Jackets beginning no earlier than 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match.

FOLLOW THE #HERDFAMILY
For the latest information on Marshall women's tennis, follow on Twitter at @Herd_Tennis, on Facebook at Herd Tennis and online at HerdZone.com.

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Players Mentioned

Madi Ballow

Daniela Dankanych

Matilde Mulatero

Anna Smith

Liz Stefancic

Victoria Walter

Marshall University Athletics