April 18, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 11th-seeded University of Kentucky women’s tennis team is set to face 6th-seeded South Carolina in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Women’s Tennis Tournament. The team will head to Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., the home of the 2012 SEC Tournament, to play at 10 a.m. ET in the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
Over a month has lapsed since the Wildcats and the Gamecocks last faced off. In the meeting, South Carolina grabbed the win, 6-1. With eight more matches under their belts since the two teams met, the Wildcats anticipate a different match.
However, similar performances from Khristina Blajkevitch and Jessica Stiles would be ideal. The two proved to be fierce competition for the Gamecocks in singles and doubles play. Stiles was barely edged out in a three-set match at the No. 1 singles slot while Blajkevitch nabbed a singles victory for the Cats at the No. 3 position. The two paired up for doubles play and narrowly fell to Jaklin Alawi and Dominkia Kanakova at the No. 1 slot.
Since the meeting, Stiles has paired up with sophomore Caitlin McGraw for doubles play and the two quickly gained a ranking from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The 69th-ranked doubles duo hit a high point as they defeated 8th-ranked Chelsey Gullickson and Nadja Gilchrist.
Kentucky will also call on freshmen Stephanie Fox and Edmée Morin-Kougoucheff, along with sophomore Misha Testerman, for success. The freshmen have played beyond their years, providing solid play for the Wildcats. Testerman worked her way into the lineup towards the second half of the season and has been invaluable ever since.
The winner of the matchup between Kentucky and South Carolina will advance to the quarterfinals to face Georgia on Friday.
Follow the live blog for the match at http://www.ukathletics.com/athletic-dept/live-blog.html .
For more information on the UK women’s tennis team, log on to UKathletics.com
