Kentucky Holds On, Defeats Dartmouth in First Round of NCAA Championship

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – With the last two singles matches coming down to a third set, the No. 17 Kentucky women’s tennis team fended off No. 45 Dartmouth, 4-2, on Friday afternoon at the Varsity Tennis Center to advance to the Round of 32 of the NCAA Championship. The Wildcats rise to 17-8 on the season, while Dartmouth saw its season come to a close with a 17-5 overall record.

“I am happy that our team prevailed today,” head coach Carlos Drada said. “Our ladies were able to get an important win today against a highly competitive Dartmouth team. We are excited about tomorrow’s opportunity.”

Kentucky got out to quick lead after taking the No. 1 and 3 doubles matches. UK’s sixth-ranked duo of Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi blanked the Big Green on court one to get the Cats half of the way there. The Wildcats’ three team of Justina Mikulskyte and Emily Fanning clinched the point with a swift 6-1 defeat of Dartmouth’s Jacqueline Crawford and Lexxi Kiven.

In singles, sophomore Mikulskyte stretched Kentucky’s lead to two, defeating Racquel Lyn in straight sets on court five, but the Big Green would respond with two wins on courts three and four to knot the score.

Senior Morgan Chumney helped UK regain a 3-2 lead, winning a second-set tiebreak in No. 6 singles over Allison McCann. Although Sutjiadi and sophomore Akvile Parazinskaite each won their first sets at the top the lineup, both would need a third set to decide their matches.

It was Sutjiadi who ultimately sealed the victory for the Blue and White. After breaking serve, the senior took control in the final game to take a hard-fought 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 victory over Taylor Ng.

With the victory, the Wildcats now own a 21-23 all-time record in the NCAA Championship. Kentucky saw its best finishes in 1988 and 2005, advancing to the quarterfinals both years.

Kentucky will take on No. 10 Michigan at 1 p.m. tomorrow in hopes of advancing onto the championship site in Athens, Georgia. The match will serve as a rematch from last season’s second round bout between the two programs in which Michigan ended Kentucky’s season with a score of 4-1.

1 – #22 Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. Taylor Ng (Dartmouth), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4

2 – #103 Akvile Parazinskaite vs. Jacqueline Crawford (Dartmouth), 6-2, 5-7, 5-4, unf.

3 – Kristina Mathis (Dartmouth) def. Mami Adachi (UK), 6-1, 6-3

4 – Julia Schroeder (Dartmouth) def. Emily Fanning (UK), 6-2, 7-5

5 – Justina Mikulskyte (UK) def. Racquel Lyn (Dartmouth), 6-0, 6-3

6 – Morgan Chumney (UK) def. Allison McCann (Dartmouth), 6-3, 7-6 (4)

1 – #6 Aldila Sutjiadi/Mami Adachi (UK) def. Taylor Ng/Kristina Mathis (Dartmouth), 6-0

2 – Julia Schroeder/Racquel Lyn (Dartmouth) vs. Morgan Chumney/Akvile Parazinskaite (UK), 5-2, unf.

3 – Justina Mikulskyte/Emily Fanning (UK) def. Jacqueline Crawford/Lexxi Kiven (Dartmouth), 6-1

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