Herd tennis heads to Sunshine State to open spring

Rick YeattsMarshall tennis opens its spring season this weekend when it heads to Gainesville, Florida for the regional round of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) Kick-Off Weekend.

The Herd opens regional play with a match against defending Sun Belt Conference champion Louisiana-Monroe Saturday at noon before facing either No. 3 Florida or Cal State Fullerton Sunday.

This is a big deal,” head coach John Mercer said. “This is a harder tournament to get into than the NCAA Tournament. Instead of granting all conference champions a spot in the field, only the top 60 teams at the end-of-season rankings earn spots in the tournament. It’s a great honor that recognizes all the…