No. 20 Wildcats to Open Spring Season at Marshall
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky women’s tennis team is set to
kick off its 2017 campaign in Huntington, West Virginia on Wednesday evening
against Conference USA opponent Marshall. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. ET.
“Our team is
eager and prepared for the start of our season,” said head coach Carlos Drada. “They
have been working with a lot of focus and are looking forward to competing
tomorrow. Marshall is always an intense team that is well-coached. We are
hungry and prepared for a highly intense atmosphere. This will be a tough
season opener, and our team is ready to meet that challenge.”
Following an
extremely successful fall season, the Wildcats will start the spring at the No. 20 spot in the Oracle/ITA Rankings.
Kentucky’s
veteran duo of senior Aldila Sutjiadi and junior Mami Adachi will begin 2017 as
the top-ranked doubles pair in the nation after compiling a 6-1 fall record and
winning their first national title at the UTSA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor
Championships on Nov. 22.
The pair also
won the consolation doubles bracket of the ITA All-American Championships on
Nov. 7. Last season, the pair earned the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Doubles
Championship, advancing to the Second Round of the tournament before falling to
No. 10 Michigan.
Individually,
Sutjiadi comes in as the No. 12 singles player in the country after putting
together an 8-2 record in the fall season and winning the singles title at the
2016 Ohio Valley Regional Championships. Last season, Sutjiadi ended her junior
campaign ranked No. 36.
UK’s younger
players also saw great success in the fall. Sophomore Akvile Paražinskaite enters 2017 at No. 74 in the singles rankings after
posting a 6-2 fall record. Paražinskaite and fellow sophomore Emily Fanning
also hold down the No. 57 spot in the doubles rankings.
While Marshall is not ranked as a team, the Herd is highlighted by two
ranked singles players in No. 90 Derya Turhan and No. 94 Maddie Silver.
Marshall is 1-0 this season, after beginning its spring schedule on Sunday with
a win over Eastern Michigan.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s tennis program,
follow @UKWomensTennis
on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at Facebook.com/UKWomensTennis
and on the web at UKathletics.com.
