April 4, 2006

IRVING, Texas - For the second time this season, Conference USA announced that Thundering Herd freshman tennis standout Kellie Schmitt was named the C-USA Tennis Athlete of the Week.

Schmitt posted another impressive weekend for the Herd as she went 2-0 at No. 2 singles and 2-0 at No. 1 doubles with partner Lynzee Kever in the Herd's wins over No. 72 ranked Louisville and UCF.

"We're excited for Kellie," Marshall head coach John Mercer said. "She's been solid all year and shown a lot of consistency in her results and effort. We're glad she was recognized with the award and hopefully she and the rest of the team will continue to improve as we head toward to the Conference USA tournament."

The freshman from Pittsburgh, Pa. continues to lead the Herd as she improved to 16-4 on the year in singles with her wins. On Friday, Schmitt defeated Bianca Gorbea of Louisville 6-1, 6-3 in the Herd's 4-3 win over another ranked opponent as it knocked of No. 72 Louisville. The rookie then opened singles action with a quick win over UCF's Elvira Serrot, 6-1, 6-4 in the Herd's first C-USA match.

In doubles, Schmitt and Kever continued their winning ways and improved to 16-4 on the season. Against Louisville, Schmitt and Kever easily downed Suzanna Gracanin and Maria Klokotzky, 8-3. The duo then staged an impressive comeback against the Golden Knights, as the tandem was down 7-4 at match point against the Golden Knights, however, Schmitt's quick hands responded to what appeared to be the match winning shot for UCF, but the freshman hit a clutch reflex volley to extend the match and keep the duo alive. The pair rallied to win 8-7 (7-3) over Pamela Fernandez and Elvira Serrot.

"It's a well-deserved award for Kellie," Mercer said. "She won two solid singles matches against good opponents and has been on a roll with Lynzee (Kever) in doubles so it's nice to get recognized by the conference and to also start moving up in the rankings."

Schmitt and Kever jumped into the doubles rankings for the first time this week and are in at No. 35.

Marshall improved to 15-6 on the year with the wins over UCF and Louisville and will return to action this weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio to take on the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks.

Schmitt was also named the C-USA Tennis Athlete of the Week on Feb. 21. The Herd freshman is the only player to win the honor twice in C-USA women's tennis this season.