The Thundering Herd’s Schmitt stands as the career doubles victories leader
First match against Louisville
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall University women’s tennis team began its day victorious with a 4-3 win over the University of Louisville, Saturday morning, at the Brian David Fox Tennis Center. The No. 71 Thundering Herd improved to 12-10 overall, while the Cardinals fell to 8-11 on the season.
“Louisville was a tough team,” Marshall’s head coach John Mercer said. “We fought through it and came up with the victory.”
The Herd’s three graduating seniors, Jessica Keener (Reston, Va.), Karolina Soor (Lindesburg, Sweden), and Kellie Schmitt (Pittsburgh, Pa.) were recognized for their career accomplishments at Marshall.
Marshall began doubles competition strong with an 8-2 victory at the No. 1 position. The senior tandem of Schmitt and Soor defeatedLindsey Jones and Jo-Ann Van Aerde. With the doubles victory, Schmitt tied Ashley Kroh as the Herd’s top career doubles player with 107 wins.
The Herd’s duo of Thaddea Lock (Bristol, England) and Catherine Kellner (Smithtown, N.Y.) fell to Amelia Harris and Sarah Miller, 9-7, at the No. 3 slot.
The Cardinals’ pair of Natalia Baez and Bianca Gorbea defeated Keener and Deanna Bailey (McDonough, Ga.), 8-5, at the No. 2 mark to secure the doubles point.
Schmitt, ranked 76th, took a straight-set victory over Jones, 6-4, 6-1, at the No. 1 position. Gorbea defeated Isabell Raich (Klaus, Austria), 6-3, 6-3, at the No. 2 slot to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
Bailey took a straight-set decision over Miller, 6-0, 6-3, at the No. 5 mark to tie the match at 2-2, while Soor defeated Van Aerde, 6-2, 6-4, at the No. 3 position to pull the Herd ahead.
Playing the No. 6 slot, Kellner fought back to defeat Harris, 6-1, 0-6, 6-3 to secure the victory for the Herd.
The Cardinals’ Baez defeated Keener, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1, at the No. 4 mark to finish the match.
Marshall enhanced its all-time series lead over Louisville to 5-2.
Tennis Match Results
Louisville vs Marshall
4/11/2009 at Huntington, W. Va.
#71 Marshall 4, Louisville 3
Singles competition
1. #76 Kellie Schmitt (MAR) def. Lindsey Jones (LOU) 6-4, 6-1
2. Bianca Gorbea (LOU) def. Isabell Raich (MAR) 6-3, 6-3
3. Karolina Soor (MAR) def. Jo-Ann Van Aerde (LOU) 6-2, 6-4
4. Natalia Baez (LOU) def. Jessica Keener (MAR) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
5. Deanna Bailey (MAR) def. Sarah Miller (LOU) 6-0, 6-3
6. Catherine Kellner (MAR) def. Amelia Harris (LOU) 6-1, 0-6, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Kellie Schmitt/Karolina Soor (MAR) def. Lindsey Jones/Jo-Ann Van Aerde (LOU) 8-2
2. Natalia Baez/Bianca Gorbea (LOU) def. Deanna Bailey/Jessica Keener (MAR) 8-5
3. Amelia Harris/Sarah Miller (LOU) def. Thaddea Lock/Catherine Kellner (MAR) 9-7
Match Notes:
Louisville 8-11
Marshall 12-10; National ranking #71
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,2,5,3,6,4)
Second match against Pittsburgh
The Herd kept on point after its victory over Louisville with a 6-1 decision over the University of Pittsburgh, Saturday evening, at the Brian David Fox Tennis Center. Marshall, ranked 71st, finished its regular season at 13-10 overall, while Pitt finished its regular season at 11-8 overall.
“Pitt has improved over the past couple of years,” Coach Mercer said. “It was nice to end the regular season with a good win.”
The Herd’s pair of Keener and Bailey started doubles competition strong with an 8-2 decision over Adela Aprodu and Minh Evans, at the No. 2 mark.
The senior team of Schmitt and Soor enhanced their winning streak to five with an 8-1 victory over Elizabeth Adams and Kristy Borza, at the No. 1 position. With the victory, Schmitt surpassed Kroh to become the Herd’s top career doubles leader with 108 wins.
Shannon Benic and Christie D'Achille defeated Kellner and Lock, 8-4, at the No. 3 slot.
The Herd took five straight-set victories over the Panthers in singles competition with Keener starting singles play with a 6-0, 6-0 advantage over Aprodu at the No. 5 mark.
Kellner followed with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Benic at the No. 6 slot, while Bailey defeated D’Achille, 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 4 slot to secure the Herd’s victory.
The Panthers’ lone singles victory was Adams’ win over Raich, 6-2, 6-1, at the No. 2 position.
Soor defeated 6-1, 6-3 at the No. 3 mark, while Schmitt, ranked 76th, closed the match with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Borza at the No. 1 position.
With the win, the Herd continued its perfect streak over the Panthers. Marshall leads the all-time series, 11-0.
Prior to Saturday’s matches, the Herd’s three graduating seniors—Soor, Keener and Schmitt—were recognized for their accomplishments during their tenure at Marshall.
“Conference will be tough this year with a lot of quality teams competing,” Coach Mercer added. “We hope to get some wins, build confidence, and play to win the championship.”
The Herd went 5-4 at home, 7-5 away, and 1-1 at neutral sites during regular season play.
Marshall will travel to Houston, Texas, April 16-29, to compete for the elite Conference USA title. The 2009 C-USA Championships will be hosted by Rice University at the Jack Hess Tennis Center. The championship brackets will be released Monday.
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Tennis Match Results
Pittsburgh vs Marshall
4/11/2009 at Huntington, W. Va.
#71 Marshall 6, Pittsburgh 1
Singles competition
1. #76 Kellie Schmitt (MAR) def. Kristy Borza (PITT) 6-2, 6-4
2. Elizabeth Adams (PITT) def. Isabell Raich (MAR) 6-2, 6-1
3. Karolina Soor (MAR) def. Minh Evans (PITT) 6-1, 6-3
4. Deanna Bailey (MAR) def. Christie D'Achille (PITT) 6-3, 6-1
5. Jessica Keener (MAR) def. Adela Aprodu (PITT) 6-0, 6-0
6. Catherine Kellner (MAR) def. Shannon Benic (PITT) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Kellie Schmitt/Karolina Soor (MAR) def. Elizabeth Adams/Kristy Borza (PITT) 8-1
2. Deanna Bailey/Jessica Keener (MAR) def. Adela Aprodu/Minh Evans (PITT) 8-2
3. Shannon Benic/Christie D'Achille (PITT) def. Catherine Kellner/Thaddea Lock (MAR) 8-4
Match Notes:
Pittsburgh 11-8
Marshall 13-10; National ranking #71
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (5,6,4,2,3,1)
