From The Parthenon Archives by SHAWN A. HOLMES, reporter
Hard Work and Lots of Practice Pay Off for Championship Tennis Squad
From The Parthenon Archives by SHAWN A. HOLMES, reporter
"We wanted it a little more than anyone else."
Desire, hard work and resiliency are the hallmarks of the team members
who won Marshall's first ever Southern
Conference tennis championship,
said John Mercer, assistant coach of the Thundering Herd tennis team.
All of the practice. all of the conditioning and training that the team went through has paid off.
The team left the Southern Conference on a winning note by winning it's first regular season Southern Conference title, and then winning it's first Southern Conference tournament championship this past weekend at Furman University.
This was a culmination of the most successful season in Marshall University tennis history which saw the Herd defeat future MAC opponent Eastern Michigan, James Madison, Davidson, and Furman for the first time in school history.
The team handed Georgia Southern its first conference loss in two and a half years.
The Herd also won convincingly against future MAC opponents
Akron and Toledo, and defeated tri-state rival Cincinnati 9-0 in what assistant
coach John Mercer said was a good win for recruiting purposes.
The Herd also breezed through the Southern Conference regular season, losing in one match to Tennessee-Chattanooga and attained a top 75 ranking nationally.
The coaches said the keys to the season were determination, intensity, and focus. The coaches also raved about the work ethic that this team had.
"I believe the keys to the season were hard work and everyone pulled together," sophomore team member Alyssa Bengel said.
"We wanted it more than anyone else. The team was really strong
this year," senior Jeri Gilley said. 
"We had a lot
of depth and that was a key."
After completing a successful regular season, the Herd journeyed to Greenville, South Carolina to put a stamp on its Southern Con-ference existence.
"We went down there to prove a point," Bengel said. "We got no respect from the other teams and we knew that we were a good team. We felt no pressure to win," Mercer was aware of that sort of disrespect, but thought that there was some pressure on the team.
Mercer said there was some pressure because it was the team's last chance to win a Southern Conference title.
Despite the disrespect, the team proved its point and won the tournament. The Herd finished the tournament with a total of 60 points and defeated UTC, who finished with 56.
"It was a long three days," Mercer said. "Everyone played really well."
Alyssa Bengel won the number three singles title, and Jeri
Gilley and Jeri Mele won the number four and five singles titles.
The Herd also won two singles titles. Jeri Gilley and Erin Russell won the number two doubles title and Kelly Peller and Jeri Mele won at number three doubles.
"It was a total team effort," Mercer said. For the girls to keep their concentration, focus, and intensity for three days is a credit to them," Mercer said.
Bengal looked back on the successful season and said, "It makes it much sweeter to win in our last year in the Southern Conference, because we are going out a winner."
So the marriage between Marshall tennis and the Southern Conference is now officially over, but the team left its mark and will move on the MAC.
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