Kentucky Falls in SEC Opener to No. 8 Vanderbilt
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—No. 17 Kentucky women’s tennis saw its 10-match win streak come to an end on Sunday, falling in a 5-2 decision to the defending national champion, No. 8 Vanderbilt, in the Southeastern Conference opener. Kentucky is now 11-2 on the season (0-1 SEC), while Vanderbilt advances to 8-2 (1-0 SEC).
Kentucky won the doubles point to take the early lead. The No. 3 doubles pair of Justina Mikulskyte and Nadia Ravita first suffered a 6-2 loss to Frances Altick and Courtney Colton, but the Wildcats rallied back in the next two doubles sets to win the point. Morgan Chumney and Akvile Paražinskaite took their set in No. 2 singles, 6-4 over Sydney Campbell and Fernanda Contreras, before the No. 2-ranked pairing of Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi downed Astra Sharma and Ellie Yates in a 7-5 set on the No. 1 court.
Vandy would take the lead with wins three straight wins on court 5, 1 and 6. No. 104 Adach fell to Georgina Sellyn in 6-3, 6-2 sets on Court 5 while Mikulskyte was overtaken by No. 25 Campbell, 6-3, 6-4. On Court 6, Kirsten Lewis was blanked in the first set to Contreras before battling in the second but ultimately falling, 6-4.
The lone singles win came from No. 95 Sutjiadi, who pulled off an upset over No. 23 Sharma. Sutjiadi won in straight sets, taking down the 2015 NCAA Singles qualifier, 6-3, 6-4. The Commodores clinched the match on Court 3, with No. 16 Altick fending off Ravita in a tight 7-5 first set before securing the win in the second, 6-3. The only other Wildcat to take a set victory in singles was Paražinskaite, who fell behind 6-4 in the first set against Colton in No. 4 singles but retaliated with a 6-3 victory in the second. Colton claimed the match in the tiebreak, 1-0(6).
Kentucky will remain on the road next weekend, first traveling to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the Gators of No. 15 Florida on March 10 before heading north to Columbia, S.C., for a matchup with No. 12 South Carolina on March 12.
Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the Kentucky women’s tennis team and all 22 varsity sports. For additional info, notes, and behind-the-scenes updates, follow the team on Twitter at @UKWomensTennis and on Facebook.
Final Results
Doubles (Order of finish: 3, 2, 1)
1 – No. 2 Mami Adachi/Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. Astra Sharma/Ellie Yates (VU), 7-5
2 – Morgan Chumney/Akvile Paražinskaite (UK) def. Sydney Campbell/Fernanda Contreras (VU), 6-4
3 – Frances Altick/Courtney Colton (VU) def. Justina Mikulskyte/Nadia Ravita (UK), 6-2
Singles (Order of finish: 5, 1, 6, 2, 3*,4)
1 – No. 25 Sydney Campbell (VU) def. Justina Mikulskyte (UK), 6-3, 6-4
2 – No. 95 Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. No. 23 Astra Sharma (VU) 6-3, 6-4
3 – No. 16 Frances Altick (VU) def. Nadia Ravita (UK), 7-5, 6-3
4 – Courtney Colton (VU) def. Akvile Paražinskaite (UK), 6-4, 3-6, 1-0(6)
5 – Georgina Sellyn (VU) def. No. 104 Mami Adachi (UK), 6-3, 6-2
6 – Fernanda Contreras (VU) def. Kirsten Lewis (UK), 6-0, 6-4
