Wildcats Set to Host No. 23 Ole Miss, No. 33 Mississippi State in SEC Home Opening Weekend

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 20 Kentucky women’s tennis team returns to the friendly confines of the Boone Tennis Complex this weekend to host its Southeastern Conference home opener. The Wildcats will first face No. 23 Ole Miss on Friday at 6 p.m. ET before taking on No. 33 Mississippi State on Sunday at noon.

The Wildcats are 9-2 overall, 1-1 in the SEC this season including a spotless 4-0 record in Lexington. UK is coming off its first ranked-win of the season after downing No. 12 Tennessee 4-1 on the road on Sunday.

Kentucky will look to gain the overall series advantage against the Rebels, as the series is currently tied at 21-21 between the two programs. The Wildcats have come up on the winning end against Ole Miss in the last two seasons. 

Against Mississippi State, UK leads the overall series 35-5 despite dropping last season’s contest, 4-2, in Starksville.

Admission to this weekend’s matches will be free for all spectators. Fans who attend Friday’s match against Ole Miss will also receive free pizza.

Kentucky’s veteran duo of senior Aldila Sutjiadi and junior Mami Adachi are ranked fifth among Division I pairs. They began 2017 as the nation’s top-ranked tandem after winning their first national title at the UTSA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships on Nov. 22. The twosome is 8-2 in the spring season, including a 2-0 mark in SEC play.

Individually, Sutjiadi is UK’s top-ranked singles player, holding the No. 16 singles spot. In the fall season, Sutjiadi won the singles title at the 2016 Ohio Valley Regional Championships. The senior owns a 4-2 record in dual matches this season.

The Rebels are 10-1 in dual matches this season, including a 1-0 mark in league play after picking up a 4-3 victory over Alabama last Friday.

Ole Miss’s lineup includes one ranked singles player and one ranked doubles team. Junior Arianne Hartono is ranked No. 47, and she pairs up with Anna Vrbenska to form the 33rd-ranked tandem.

The Bulldogs are 8-2, 1-1 in SEC play, having dropped matches to Michigan and Auburn. MSU is coming off a thrilling 4-3 victory over then-No. 34 Alabama.

The Bulldogs’ roster feature one ranked singles player in No. 57 Jasmine Lee. In doubles, Lee and Lisa Marie Rioux make up the nation’s 13th-ranked pair.

Kentucky will continue its home stretch with a mid-day matchup against No. 5 Vanderbilt next Saturday at 1 p.m. 

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