Feb. 22, 2009

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Two days after upsetting fourth-ranked Tennessee on the road, the Kentucky men’s tennis team travels to South Bend, Ind., to battle No. 25 Notre Dame at the Eck Tennis Pavilion on Monday.

UK (7-2) ranks at No. 31 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, released prior to the Wildcats’ victory in Knoxville. Senior captain Bruno Agostinelli’s come-from-behind victory on court one over No. 9 John-Patrick Smith captured the match point against the Volunteers. Singles action wins by freshmen Eric Quigley and Alex Musialek helped provide the UK margin after the Wildcats secured the doubles point to begin the match with UT.

Two players are ranked for the Blue and White in the ITA men’s singles rankings released last week. Agostinelli ranks eighth nationally, while Quigley stands 83rd in the country. Additionally, the doubles pairing of Agostinelli and sophomore Brad Cox ranks at No. 30.

Last year, the Cats defeated the Fighting Irish in Lexington, 4-2. After winning the doubles point, victories by Agostinelli and departed senior Marcus Sundh built UK’s lead before sophomore Alberto Gonzalez clinched the match with a win on court five.

Notre Dame (6-5) returns home after a tough 7-0 road loss at the hands of No.3 Ohio State on Saturday. The loss snapped a five-match win streak by the Irish.

Both teams share one common opponent in the young season. Notre Dame lost 7-0 to the new No. 1 team in the nation, Virginia, on the road two weeks before UK fell 6-1 to the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, Va.

Two Irish players are ranked in the latest ITA men’s singles poll, including No. 18 Brett Helgeson and No. 122 Daniel Stahl while Helgeson and Tyler Davis stand at No. 13 in the doubles rankings.

Please visit UKathletics.com for live stats and a full recap of Monday’s action.