No. 18 Kentucky (8-4, 1-1) awaits another tough conference match Friday when the Cats welcome 14th-ranked LSU (9-1, 1-1) to the Boone Tennis Complex. The match time has been changed to 2 p.m. ET from its previously-scheduled 5 p.m. ET start. Live scoring will be available at www.ukathletics.com. A free tennis clinic featuring former UK tennis great Cedric Kauffmann for boys and girls from ages 8-17 will begin at 5 p.m.
The Cats return to the courts after taking some time off for Spring Break. Kentucky?s last showing was a productive outing, as the Cats blanked Indiana and Murray State on Wednesday, Mar. 10 in a day-night doubleheader on the UK campus. Junior Jesse Witten, the ITA?s 15th-ranked student-athlete, has won eight-consecutive matches, including a victory last month against Baylor?s top-ranked Benedikt Dorsch. Freshman Jason Mallaiah made his Wildcat debut last week and picked up a pair of victories.
LSU comes to Lexington for their first conference road match after falling to Georgia and defeating Tennessee two weekends ago in Baton Rouge. The Tigers feature Ken Skupski, the ITA?s 58th-ranked student-athlete, and Bryan Fisher and Jason Hazley, who comprise the nation?s 20th-ranked doubles tandem. The Tigers dealt the Cats a 4-2 loss during the 2003 regular season in Baton Rouge before Kentucky eliminated LSU from the 2003 SEC Tournament with a 4-1 win in Oxford, Miss.
?LSU has some impressive wins this season against Texas and Texas A&M and has certainly played well in their conference matches,? UK Coach Dennis Emery said. ?LSU had a very good team last season and is even better this year, so this will be another challenging match tomorrow.?
UK alum Cedric Kauffmann will conduct a free tennis clinic beginning Friday at 5 p.m. at the Boone Tennis Complex. Kauffmann played at Kentucky from 1994-98 and became UK?s first three-time singles All-American during his senior season. Kauffmann has enjoyed success on the professional tennis circuit and is noted for his epic five-set match against Pete Sampras at the 2001 French Open, where he took perhaps the finest men?s tennis player ever to the limit before finally succumbing to defeat.
Kentucky will wrap up its weekend of conference play Sunday when the Cats play host to Arkansas.
