Soor and Schmitt earns all-conference selections

IRVING, Texas – The Marshall University’s senior Kellie Schmitt (Pittsburgh, Pa.) garnered her third consecutive Conference USA Player of the Year honor and All-Conference First Team recognition, as selected by the 12 conference head coaches and announced by the conference office Thursday.

“It is good to be honored for the third year and am excited to end my career with such a high recognition,” Schmitt said. “I had a successful senior year and these honors are a great way to end.”

Schmitt, ranked 66th, is the league’s second three-time player of the year recipient. The senior is 21-4 in singles this spring, including a 7-3 mark in her last 10 matches. She carries a 17-6 doubles record in dual matches, with all of her action coming at the No. 1 doubles line with partner Karolina Soor (Lindesburg, Sweden).

Schmitt was named C-USA Women’s Tennis Player of the Week three times this season and was honored 10 times in her career. The three honors this season are tied for the most in a single season for a women's tennis player. Schmitt’s 10 career honors are the most ever for a C-USA Women's Tennis Player and are tied for fifth all-time for any C-USA student-athlete.

“This is an amazing honor for Kellie and to be recognized for the third time in her career is remarkable,” Marshall’s head coach John Mercer said. “We are proud of her for all of her career accomplishments and it is a well earned and deserved honor.”

The Thundering Herd’s Soor was selected to the C-USA All-Conference Third Team for the first-time in her career. The senior has also been honored with All-Conference Second Team selections twice in her career (2007 and 2008).

“It is exciting to be honored for my final season,” Soor said. “I have worked hard this season and to be recognized is nice.”

Soor earned her first C-USA Player of the Week honor in 2009 and the second of her career back in April.

The Herd’s senior pair was also recognized to the All-Conference Doubles Second Team along with UCF’s duo Jenny Frisell and Elvira Serrot. The doubles team selection marks the pair’s fourth consecutive appearance as a doubles team.

“It is good to get two athletes recognized in this tough conference,” coach Mercer added. “Being selected all-conference is a great accomplishment with all of the excellent players competing.”

There were seven singles players and one doubles team selected to the first team, five and two pairs earned second team honors, while six singles player and SMU’s duo were selected to the third team.

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