(Oct. 6, 2000) — University of Kentucky women’s tennis player Lauren Rookledge advanced to the semifinals of the St. Mary’s Health Care Tournament on October 6. Rookledge, a junior, upset 98th-ranked Vilmarie Castellvi of Tennessee 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
“Lauren has been really progressing and we knew that she could play this way,” Coach Mark Guilbeau said. “It is great for Lauren to get a win over a ranked opponent and I am sure that this level of play will continue.”
Rookledge will now face 17th-ranked Jessica Lehnoff of Florida in Saturday’s first semifinal matchup. Lehnoff was an ITA All-American in 2000.
Also competing in the tournament for the Wildcats were sophomores Jill Buckley and Shannon Stafford. Buckley was defeated in the opening round by Minnesota’s Tammy Wang. Stafford, who has battled back after missing last season with a shoulder injury, had an impressive showing before losing a close three-set match to Tennessee’s Kim Gates.
“Shannon played a great match today and deserved to win,” Guilbeau said. “I think that this is the kind of match that she can gain a lot of confidence from.”
UK also entered one doubles team in the tournament. Rookledge and Buckley teamed up to pull off the upset of the tournament when they defeated Alison Ojeda and Vilmarie Castellvi of the Tennessee, the 9th-ranked doubles team in the nation, by a score of 8-4. Unfortunately, the Wildcat duo lost in the semifinals to Georgia Tech’s Misty Morris and Mason Miller.
“In the first match Lauren and Jill were mentally and physically prepared and played a great match,” Guilbeau said. “In the next match they lacked focus. It is very important for this team to remain focused match-in and match-out so that they can play at the highest level. This type of focus must come from the individual players and the team as a whole, not from the coaches overlooking every detail.”
Stafford also entered the doubles draw on an unattached team with Tennessee’s Catherine Hall. The duo will play in the consolation bracket of the tournament on Saturday.
