Leaving with their names stamped all over the MU record book, Catherine Kellner and Michaela Kissell of the No. 53 Marshall University Tennis team play their final home match as members of the Thundering Herd on Friday against Pittsburgh. First serve is set for 4 p.m.
Kellner will leave as the third-winningest singles player in MU history. With an overall singles record of 81-27 in three years of action, Kellner has won exactly 75 percent of her matches for the Herd. Her 130 combined victories ranks her 16th all-time in MU history.
In the 2009-10 season, Kellner compiled 34 singles victories which tied her for second on the all-time single-season wins list. She currently leads all MU plays in spring competition with 17 singles victories. While Kellner has been at Marshall, the team has played to an overall record of 49-23.
Kissell will leave as one of the top players in Marshall University history. During her two-year stint with the Herd, Kissell has won 107 matches and lost just 38. She was the 2009 ITA Atlantic Region Doubles Champion with Dominika Zaprazna, and the 2010 ITA Atlantic Region Singles Champion.
The 2010 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year and First-Team All C-USA selection for both singles and doubles, Kissell has the fourth highest singles winning percentage (54-19 – .739) and the ninth highest doubles winning percentage (53-19 – .736).
Playing No. 1 singles and doubles for Marshall in her two years here, Kissell has been the Conference USA Player of the Week five times. She has represented Marshall in all three major collegiate tournaments (All-American Champions, NCAA Indoor Championships, NCAA Tournament), and has cracked the top-20 in combines victories in just two seasons. With Kissell on the roster, the Thundering Herd has a team record of 35-12. She is currently ranked No. 54 nationally in singles and No. 23 in doubles.
MU (16-5) plays its final match of the regular-season against the Panthers (8-10) before the Herd heads south for the Conference USA Tournament hosted to UCF.
With thunderstorms in the forecast for Friday, the match is scheduled to take place at the Brian David Fox Tennis Center. If the rain comes, the match will move indoors to the Huntington Tennis Club. Fans can follow live stats (if outside) by logging on to the front page of herdzone.com.