The Thundering Herd falls 4-3 to William and Mary
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall University women’s tennis team fell 4-3 to the College of William and Mary, Friday afternoon. The 62nd-ranked Thundering Herd dropped to 7-8 overall, while the 46th-ranked Tribe improved to 6-7 on the season.
“We weren’t able to maintain, while William and Mary was more solid today,” Marshall’s head coach John Mercer said. “We did some positive things today and we hope to learn from it.”
The Herd’s pair of Jessica Keener (Reston, Va.) and Deanna Bailey (McDonough, Ga.) took an 8-4 decision over Klaudyna Kasztelaniec and Barbara Zidek at the No. 2 position.
The Tribe’s team of Carmen Pop and Katie Kargl would then defeat Catherine Kellner and Kristina Koprcina, 8-5, at the No. 3 slot.
The senior tandem of Kellie Schmitt (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Karolina Soor (Lindesburg, Sweden) upset bid fell short with a hard fought battle at the No. 1 mark. The No. 38 pair of Ragini Acharya and Katarina Zoricic defeated Schmitt and Soor, 9-8.
William and Mary went into singles action with a 1-0 lead.
Marshall’s Kellner would tie the match after a straight-set victory at the No. 5 position. Kellner defeated Zidek, 6-0, 6-1.
Schmitt, ranked 62nd, then took a straight-set victory over Zoricic, 6-2, 6-2, at the No. 1 position to give the Herd a 2-1 lead.
Playing the No. 2 slot, Acharya defeated Isabell Raich (Klaus, Austria), 2-6, 6-1, 6-0, to tie the match at 2-2.
“William and Mary took advantage of the open points, which is what happens during good college matches,” Coach Mercer continued.
Soor fell 7-6, 6-2 to Kasztelaniec at the No. 3 mark to pull the Tribe ahead, 3-2.
However, William and Mary would secure the match with a victory at the No. 4 position. Pop defeated Keener 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.
To close the match, Koprcina defeated Maria Morrissey, 7-6, 6-4, at the No. 6 slot.
With the victory, the Tribe enhanced its perfect streak against the Herd to 8-0.
“We will work on a few things tomorrow and be ready for Sunday,” Coach Mercer added.
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.
Marshall will continue action against the No. 45 Auburn University, Sunday, with first serve set for 11 a.m. at the Brian David Fox Tennis Center on Marshall’s campus, weather permitting. The Tigers enter weekend play with a 7-5 overall record on the season.
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.
The Herd is 2-3 at home, 4-4 away, and 1-1 at neutral sites so far this season.
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Tennis Match Results
William and Mary vs Marshall
3/20/2009 at Huntington, W.Va.
#46 William and Mary 4, #62 Marshall 3
Singles competition
1. #65 Kellie Schmitt (MAR) def. Katarina Zoricic (CWM) 6-2, 6-2
2. Ragini Acharya (CWM) def. Isabell Raich (MAR) 2-6, 6-1, 6-0
3. KlaudynaKasztelaniec (CWM) def. Karolina Soor (MAR) 7-6, 6-2
4. Carmen Pop (CWM) def. Jessica Keener (MAR) 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
5. Catherine Kellner (MAR) def. Barbara Zidek (CWM) 6-0, 6-1
6. Kristina Koprcina (MAR) def. Maria Morrissey (CWM) 7-6, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #38 Ragini Acharya/Katarina Zoricic (CWM) def. Kellie Schmitt/Karolina Soor (MAR) 9-8
2. Jessica Keener/Deanna Bailey (MAR) def. KlaudynaKasztelaniec/Barbara Zidek (CWM) 8-4
3. Carmen Pop/Katie Kargl (CWM) def. Catherine Kellner/Kristina Koprcina (MAR) 8-5
Match Notes:
William and Mary 6-7; National ranking #46
Marshall 7-8; National ranking #62
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6)
