March 24, 2006

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Thundering Herd tennis team is set to play host to the No. 20 ranked William and Mary Tribe Saturday at the Huntington Tennis Club.

Marshall comes into the match with a record of 13-5 and ranked No. 73 in the latest ITA Fila Rankings. William and Mary is 11-6 and ranked No. 20 after defeating No. 16 ranked Harvard in its last match.

The Herd comes into the match after a pair of wins on its Spring Break trip to Florida. The Herd defeated Florida Atlantic 7-0 and No. 45 ranked Denver 4-3. The win against Denver was Marshall's second of the year over a ranked opponent and it will be looking for a third Saturday against the Tribe, but it won't be an easy task.

"It's going to be a great match that we're really excited to be playing," Marshall head coach John Mercer said. "Every year William and Mary is a top 20 program and we're looking forward to them coming to Huntington. They're a very good team and we're going to have to play great tennis to keep up with them."

William and Mary features some of the nation's best players and the Tribe will be making its first-ever appearance in Huntington to take on the Herd. William and Mary leads the all-time series 4-0, including a 7-0 win the last time the two schools met in 2003.

The Tribe is led by No. 14 ranked Megan Moulton-Levy and No. 56 ranked Katarina Zoricic in singles. In doubles, Moulton-Levy and Zoricic are ranked No. 21 while Megan Muth and Barbara Zidek are No. 44 in the latest poll.

"They have some of the best players in the country," Mercer said. "Individually and as a team, this match has a lot at stake for us. In singles and doubles, if we can pull out wins from the top spots it could mean a chance to get into the NCAAs and as a team, a win would give us a great shot at an at-large bid."

William and Mary is the second highest team to play in Huntington this season. No. 13 ranked Kentucky beat the Herd 5-2 earlier in the year at the Huntington Tennis Club.

Senior Day for Holly Asel

Not only is it a big day for the Thundering Herd squaring off against William and Mary, it will also be Senior Day for Holly Asel.

The Leawood, Kan. native will be honored about ten minutes prior to the start of the match.

"It's going to be bittersweet," Asel said of her last match in Huntington. "It's sad to never play here again, but then again there are a lot of matches left on the road so it hasn't really sunk in totally that my senior year is almost over. It's going to be exciting though to see what the future holds."

Asel has been a part of three Mid-American Conference championship teams and she has been a three-time ITA Scholar Athlete and was awarded the MAC Commissioners Award for academics three times. In her career, she has a 25-14 overall record and is 10-2 playing dual matches for the Herd. She is 8-7 in doubles in her career.

"Holly has been a great player to have for four years both on and off the court," Mercer said. "She's always been very supportive of the team and she's taken the ups and downs of being in and out of the lineup very well. She has a great attitude, is a hard worker and gives 100 percent all the time. The success we've had has come from people like Holly stepping in when we need them and always supporting the team."

Asel will go on from Marshall with a degree in accounting from the Lewis College of Business.

"We're really going to miss Holly, but I'm confident that she'll do great in her future career and that she'll always be a big supporter of Marshall tennis," Mercer said.

Former Herd Standout Anna Mitina to Be Honored by M-Club

The second winningest player in Marshall tennis history will be honored with a prestigious M-Club blanket for her contributions to Marshall athletics and the tennis team.

Anna Mitina played for the Herd from 1999-2002 and helped lead the Herd to the 2000 MAC Regular Season title and 2002 Tournament title.

Mitina's 195 total wins are the second most in school history behind Ashley Kroh and her career winning percentage is .694, the fifth best in school history. In 2000, Mitina had 33 singles wins, the most in a single season at Marshall and her 33 doubles are second most in a single season. Combined, the 66 wins are the most in a single season at Marshall.

In 2001, Mitina was named the MAC Player of the Year and she was a first-team All-MAC selection in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.

"We're really excited about having Anna come back for the match and receive this recogntion," Mercer said. "She played such a big part in building our program to where it is today and she really helped springboard Marshall tennis to all of our MAC titles and into the national spotlight."

Mitina will be honored between the doubles and singles portion of the match Saturday.

"It's a match we're really looking forward to for a lot of reasons," Mercer said. "I hope we get a lot of fan support, not only for Anna and Holly, but to also get behind us and help go for a big win over a top 20 team."

The match is now scheduled to be played at 1 p.m. at the Huntington Tennis Club. Autographed posters will also be available at the match for fans.