The Thundering Herd plays host to William and Mary and Auburn
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall University women’s tennis team is set to host the No. 46 College of William and Mary and No. 45 Auburn University this weekend. The 62nd-ranked Thundering Herd will challenge the Tribe, Friday, with first-serve set for 1 p.m.
Marshall and Auburn play Sunday, at 11 a.m. with both matches set to be played at the Brian David Fox Tennis Center on Marshall’s campus, weather permitting.
“We have two good home matches against two top-50 teams that we have never beaten,” Marshall’s head coach John Mercer said. “We have lost a lot of close matches on the road to top teams and we are glad to have both at home.”
The Herd enters the weekend with a 7-7 overall record, while William and Mary stands at 5-7 on the season. The Tigers enter weekend play with a 7-5 overall record on the season.
Marshall and William and Mary have met seven times in school history with the Tribe winning all seven matches. The Herd fell 7-0 last season to the Tribe in Williamsburg, Va.
The Tribe’s pair of Katarina Zoricic and Raginia Acharya is ranked No. 38 in the latest doubles ranking.
Auburn leads the all-time series with Marshall, 1-0, after a 6-1 victory in Auburn, Ala. last season.
The Tigers’ team of Alex Haney and Whitney Chappell stand ranked at No. 44 in the latest doubles ranking.
Auburn’s Fani Chifchieva ranks No. 8 in the nation, while teammate Haney stands at No. 32 in the latest singles poll.
Senior Kellie Schmitt (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked 62nd, leads the Herd with a 12-2 singles record at the No. 1 position. Isabell Raich (Klaus, Austria) stands at 6-8, while Karolina Soor (Lindesburg, Sweden) is 8-5 so far this season.
Also in singles play, Deanna Bailey (McDonough, Ga.) stands at 5-8, Jessica Keener (Reston, Va.) is 9-4, and Catherine Kellner (Smithtown, N.Y.) stands at 10-3.
In doubles action, Schmitt and Soor are 10-3, Keener stands at 7-6, Bailey stands at 5-7, Raich is 3-7, and Kellner is at 4-8 on the season.
“We will need the Herd fans to come and support the team against these tough teams,” Coach Mercer added.
The Herd are 2-2 at home, 4-4 away, and 1-1 at neutral sites so far this season.
William and Mary and Auburn will face each other, Saturday, at 12 p.m. at the Brian David Fox Tennis Center on Marshall’s campus, weather permitting.
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