Setting the Scene
LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The No. 20 Kentucky women?s tennis team (19-9) will look to record one of the biggest wins in school history Thursday when it takes on No. 2 Notre Dame at 3 p.m. EDT in the round of 16 of the NCAA Championships in Palo Alto, Calif. The Wildcats came out of the Clemson regional after dispatching Furman in the first round and 15th-ranked Clemson in the round of 32. UK will be looking to reach the NCAA quarterfinals for the second consecutive season. If the Wildcats defeat the Fighting Irish they will take on either the Miami Hurricanes or Fresno State on Friday. Fans can check ukathletics.com for live stats and recaps throughout UK?s tournament run.
Scouting the Fighting Irish
Kentucky will be facing off against the Fighting Irish for the 13th time on Thursday. The all-time series record is tied at 6-6.
Notre Dame advanced to the round of 16 after beating Valparaiso and Michigan on its home courts this past weekend. The Fighting Irish are the No. 2 seed in the tournament and are 26-1 on the season. The Irish are the Big East Conference tournament champions and went 16-1 against ranked teams. The Irish’s lone loss of the season came against SEC foe Vanderbilt. Notre Dame beat its highest ranked opponent, then No. 5 Duke, back on March 15. The Irish toppled the Blue Devils 4-3 in Orlando, Fla.
Notre Dame has been led all season long by the Thompson twins, Catrina and Christian. The duo is the nation?s fifth-ranked doubles team. The tandem is 22-5 on the season. In singles action, the Fighting Irish have three ranked women. Catrina Thompson tops the list at No. 30 after going 28-10 on the season. Sophomore Brook Buck is the next highest Golden Domer at No. 87. Buck currently owns a 24-9 record. Christian Thompson rounds out the ranked Irish at No. 113.
Schwenk Steps Up Down the Stretch
Junior Joelle Schwenk stepped up her play down the stretch winning 11 out of her last 13 singles matches. The Coconut Creek, Fla., native clinched UK?s opening-round match against Furman. Kentucky?s No. 3 player was named first team All-SEC after winning 10 matches during the conference season. Schwenk also teamed with fellow junior Lara Maurer to win their last 10 doubles matches.
Fab Freshmen
This season, Kentucky has had two freshmen who have made an immediate impact at the No. 5 and 6 spots. Carolina Escamilla captured nine SEC victories while Jessica Giuggioli claimed victory in 11 SEC matches and clinched the Cats? NCAA second-round match against Clemson. The Cats have gone 9-1 when the duo has captured victories in the same match.
Road to the Round of 16
The Wildcats stormed out of the Clemson regional winning their first two matches 4-0. UK took down No. 64 Furman in the opening round and 15th-ranked Clemson, on the Tigers’ homecourts, in the second round. Kentucky was dominant, winning four out of five doubles matches and all six singles matches in the first two rounds. The Cats improved their record to 17-1 when they capture the doubles point this season.
2006 SEC Tournament Recap
Despite the loss of key players from the 2005 squad, the Cats returned to the finals of the SEC tournament for the second consecutive season. As the No. 3 seed, UK received a bye and faced Alabama in the second round. UK advanced to the SEC semifinals by upending the Tide 4-1 at Florida?s Ring Tennis Complex. Kentucky got on the board early winning the doubles point and then took three out of four singles matches to clinch the match. In the semifinals, UK overcame second-seeded Vandy, who beat the Cats in the two school’s final regular season contest, 4-2 to move on to the finals. Once again UK claimed the doubles point and took three out of five singles matches. The Cats? tournament run ended in the finals where the Gators blanked UK 4-0 on their home court to win the SEC tournament title.
Cats in the Rankings
Kentucky enters the NCAA Tournament ranked 20th. Ten of the 12 Southeastern Conference teams are now ranked in the top 60.
Junior Kim Coventry is currently the Wildcats? lone ranked singles player at No. 49. The Melbourne, Australia, native has recorded 25 wins on the season to lead the team. Coventry also teams with Escamilla to be the 27th-ranked doubles tandem.
2005 NCAA Tournament Recap
The 2005 season will go down as one of the best in the history of the UK women?s tennis program. The Wildcats capped their season by winning three straight matches to reach the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in the program?s history. Kentucky opened the tournament by blanking No. 69 Marshall 4-0. The Cats jumped ahead by taking the doubles point before winning three straight singles matches to advance to a second-round contest vs. No. 28 Wake Forest. UK continued its strong play beating the Demon Deacons 4-2. The Cats once again captured the doubles point before winning three singles matches. In the round of 16, UK took down 16th-ranked Tulane 4-1. Kentucky?s tournament run ended against No. 10 Texas in the quarterfinals with a 4-2 loss.
Next on Tap
As a team, Kentucky will be looking to advance to Friday’s quarterfinals. The men’s and women’s team championships will conclude on Sunday. Following the conclusion of the team championship, Coventry will compete for the national singles titles as well as team with Escamilla in the 32-team doubles field on May 24, in Palo Alto, Calif.
