Herd Tennis Sweeps WKU And Advances to C-USA Quarterfinals

DENTON, Tex.—The Marshall tennis team swept the first round of the 2021 Conference USA Women's Tennis Championship, 4-0, against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Thursday afternoon.

"Good win for the Herd!" Marshall head coach John Mercer said. "Like all conference tournaments, WKU gave us a hard fight. Fortunately, we were able to get the doubles point, which has been WKU's strength this year. That really gave us good momentum heading into singles. They play very good doubles. Should be fun tomorrow."

The No. 6 seeded Herd improved to 7-8 (2-1 C-USA) and will advance to the C-USA quarterfinals on Friday, April 23 against the No. 3 seed Florida International Panthers.

Marshall started off with an early 1-0 lead after securing the doubles point with wins from partners Madison Riley and Madison Ballow and Anna Smith and Daniela Dankanych.

The Herd did not stop battling after doubles. To cap off the victory, Anna Smith, Liz Stefancic, and Madison Ballow all claimed singles points to secure the 4-0 win over WKU.

For more information about the C-USA Women's Tennis Championship, click here.

Doubles Results:
1. Von Dungern/Friess (WKU) def. Stefancic/Van Hansewyck (MU), 6-4.
2. Smith/Dankanych (MU) def. Bernardos/Martinez (WKU), 7-6 (7-4).
3. Riley/Ballow (MU) def. Bryant-Otake/Joch (WKU), 6-4.

Finishing Order: 3, 1, 2

Singles Results:
1. Smith (MU) def. Von Dungern (WKU), 6-1, 6-2.
2. Dankanych (MU) vs. Bernardos (WKU), 4-6, 1-5 (unfinished)
3. Ballow (MU) def. Joch (WKU), 6-3, 6-0.
4. Stefancic (MU) def. Martinez (WKU), 6-3, 6-2.
5. Van Hansewyck (MU) vs. Bryant-Otake (WKU), 7-5, 3-4 (unfinished)
6. Riley (MU) vs. Friess (WKU), 4-6, 0-3 (unfinished)

Finishing Order: 1, 4, 3
2 (unfinished), 5 (unfinished), 6 (unfinished)

MATCH INFORMATION VS. FIU
Match Day: Friday, April 23
Match Time: 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT
Location: Waranch Tennis Complex, Denton, TX
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=349663

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: FIU
Florida International University is currently undefeated on the season, 10-0. The Panthers swept UTEP in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament, 4-0.

SERIES HISTORY
The Panthers lead the series, 6-1, over the Herd. FIU took the last match, 4-0, on Feb. 23, 2020 in Huntington.

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

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!

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Herd Tennis Sweeps WKU And Advances to C-USA Quarterfinals

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Players Mentioned

Daniela Dankanych

Madison Riley

Anna Smith

Liz Stefancic

Marshall University Athletics