April 18, 2009
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Wildcats put in a good fight during their regular season finale as three courts went into extra sets. But it wasn’t enough to quell the Commodores’ performances as No. 19 Vanderbilt defeated the Cats 7-0 Saturday afternoon at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.
Kentucky fell behind early as Vandy took the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. UK earned their only win of the day behind senior Carolina Escamilla and freshman Caroline Lilley on court one. The 47th-ranked duo defeated No. 45 Jackie Wu and Heather Steinbauer in a tie-break. The Wildcat pair first knotted the score at 7-7, and then proceeded into the seven-point breaker. Both teams nabbed three points from the start but the Blue and white went on to win the next four points for the win, 8-7(3).
Escamilla gave an incredible effort on her Senior Day as she challenged No. 61 Catherine Newman on court one. The Medellin, Colombia, native stayed even with the Commodore throughout the match, but couldn’t outperform Newman as she defeated the Wildcat, 6-4, 6-4.
Sophomore Megan Broderick also challenged a ranked member of the Vanderbilt squad in No. 54 Wu on court two. Broderick, who is nationally ranked No. 104, was unable to capture the win as Wu handed her a 6-4, 6-3 decision.
Courts three, four and six each went into third sets. UK’s Lauren Meier and Christine Johnston each had won the first set, but the last two went to Vanderbilt. Freshman Jennifer Stone stepped into the lineup on court six against Courtney Ulery. Stone took the second set 7-6(4) after dropping the first, 6-2. Ulery went on to grab the third 6-4 to seal the sweep.
Kentucky will head to Fayetteville, Ark., next week to compete in the 2009 SEC Championship starting on Thursday, April 23 and continues until Friday, April 26.
#19 Vanderbilt 7, #24 Kentucky 0
Singles
1. #61 Catherine Newman (VU) def. Carolina Escamilla (UK), 6-4, 6-4
2. #54 Jackie Wu (VU) def. #104 Megan Broderick (UK), 6-4, 6-3
3. #123 Keilly Ulery (VU) def. Lauren Meier (UK), 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
4. Chelsea Preeg (VU) def. Christine Johnston (UK), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
5. Heather Steinbauer (VU) def. Caroline Lilley (UK), 6-0, 6-2
6. Courtney Ulery (VU) def. Jennifer Stone (UK), 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-4
Doubles
1. #47 Escamilla/Lilley (UK) def. #45 Wu/Steinbauer (VU), 8-7(3)
2. Newman/Preeg (VU) def. Broderick/Johnston (UK), 8-3
3. Ulery/Ulery (VU) def. Meier/Spencer (UK), 8-5
Order of Finish
Doubles: 2, 3, 1
Singles: 5, 1, 2*, 3, 4, 6
