Setting the Scene
Lexington, Ky. – The No. 29 Kentucky women?s tennis team (10-6) travels to Mississippi State and Ole Miss this weekend looking to improve on its 3-1 Southeastern Conference record. The match against the Bulldogs is slated to begin at 4 p.m. EST on Friday. The Cats will return to the courts on Sunday at 2 p.m. EST to battle the Rebels in Oxford, Miss.
Scouting the Opponents
Mississippi State enters Friday?s match with a 3-8 record and is unranked. MSU has begun conference action 1-3 with losses against South Carolina, Florida and Alabama.
Ole Miss is 7-4 (1-3 SEC) this season and is ranked No. 52. The Rebels have lost four of their last five matches entering this weekend?s contests. Ole Miss has one ranked player in No. 81 Kseniia Tokarieva. Tokarieva is 19-3 on the season including a perfect 4-0 record in SEC action.
Last Time Out
In the Cats? last match, UK soundly defeated 68th-ranked Arkansas 6-1. The victory was the third straight for the Cats on the road. UK took five of six singles matches from the Hogs and claimed the doubles point.
Freshman Carolina Escamilla continued to play well by defeating the Razorbacks? Maryori Franco for her fifth straight win. The Medellin, Colombia, native is 4-0 in conference play and was named SEC Player of the Week on March 15, for wins at LSU and Arkansas.
Cats in the Rankings
Kentucky enters this weekend?s matches ranked 29th. Ten of the 12 Southeastern Conference teams are now ranked in the top-70.
Junior Kim Coventry is currently the Cats? lone ranked singles player at No. 39. The Melbourne, Australia, native has recorded 21 wins on the year. Coventry also teams with fellow junior Joelle Schwenk to be the 43rd-ranked doubles team.
History
UK enters the contest against MSU with a 24-3 all-time advantage. Last season, the Cats blanked the Bulldogs 7-0.
Kentucky has traditionally had tough matches against Ole Miss. UK holds the 15-14 edge in the series against the Rebels. Last season, UK notched a 4-3 win over Ole Miss.
Next on Tap
The Cats return home to the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center on March 31, to take on No. 30 Georgia. On Sunday, April 2, Kentucky hosts No. 24 Tennessee.
