April 4, 2006

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Thundering Herd tennis tandem of Lynzee Kever and Kellie Schmitt jumped to No. 35 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings released Tuesday.

Kever, a junior from Edmond, Okla., and Schmitt, a freshman from Pittsburgh, Pa., are 16-4 on the season and have helped lead the Herd to a 15-6 record overall as a team.

The duo was previously unranked, but a win over No. 21 Megan Moulton-Levy and Katarina Zoricic two weeks ago propelled the tandem into the rankings. Kever and Schmitt are also the highest ranked squad in Conference USA.

The ranking gets the Herd duo eligible for the NCAA Tournament because new rules provide for each conference that has a ranked doubles team to get players bids into the tournament.

Marshall also jumped No. 57 from 60 in the latest team rankings. This is the highest the Herd has been ranked this season and its highest position in the polls since it was ranked No. 55 in June of 2004.