Oct. 17, 2001
The University of Kentucky women’s tennis program is coming off an extraordinary week of competition. Several Wildcats came away with titles and major upsets en route to a team effort that has Coach Mark Guilbeau excited about his sixth season at the helm of the women’s tennis program.
“This past week was one of the strongest performances by a UK women’s tennis team ever,” Guilbeau said. “I couldn’t be more thrilled at the level that the entire team is playing at right now.”
Senior Carolina Mayorga and junior Sarah Witten, the 10th-ranked doubles team in the country, were among the 16 pairs to land a spot in the All-American Championship in Los Angeles. The duo was defeated by a tough Oklahoma State team in the first round before storming back and winning three straight matches to claim the consolation bracket. In the back draw, Mayorga and Witten were able to notch wins over three nationally ranked teams, including an impressive 8-1 victory over fourth-ranked Tiffany Brymer and Jewel Peterson of Southern Cal.
Mayorga was also one of 32 individuals to play singles in Los Angeles. Mayorga was defeated in the opening round by the nation’s eighth-ranked player Mariel Verban, but upset No. 22 Lindsay Dawaf in the consolation bracket.
“Carolina is playing great tennis in both singles and doubles,” Guilbeau said. “She picked up a lot of big wins this week, many of which came after bouncing back from a loss.”
While Mayorga and Witten made names for themselves on the West Coast, senior Lauren Rookledge was tallying significant wins on the regional level. Rookledge was able to walk away from the Gator Fall Classic in Gainesville, Fla., with both the singles and doubles titles. With the notable performance in the Sunshine State, Rookledge and partner Leigh Bradwell kept their undefeated streak of the young season in tact as they claimed their second title.
The women’s tennis team will look to continue its stellar play this weekend at the Vanderbilt Fall Invitational in Nashville, Tenn. Play begins on Friday, Oct. 19, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 21.
