Kentucky Hosts Season-Opening Double Header vs. NKU, Miami

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 21 Kentucky women’s tennis team will officially open its dual match season on Wednesday, welcoming in Northern Kentucky and Miami (Oh.) for a double header inside the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. The Wildcats will take on the Redhawks at 11 a.m. before facing off against the Norse at 4 p.m.
 
The Wildcats are coming off a highly successful 2017 campaign, which saw Kentucky finish the season with a 17-9 overall record and a 7-6 mark in conference play. UK advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and ended the season at No. 18 in the ITA Rankings for their first top-20 finish since 2006. The season marked UK’s first winning SEC record since 2007 along with its first top-five finish in the SEC for the first time since 2006.
 
Kentucky saw its first action of 2018 over the weekend, traveling to Coral Gables, Fla., for the three-day Miami Spring Invite. The Wildcats faced staunch competition in the event in No. 2 Vanderbilt, No. 19 Miami and Ohio State. UK compiled a 5-3 record in doubles and a 7-12 mark in singles in the event.
 
Junior Akvile Paražinskaite is Kentucky’s top-ranked singles player to begin the season, ranked No. 26 in the Oracle/ITA Division I Singles Rankings to start the year.
 
All three teams will be playing their first matches of the season on Wednesday.
 
UK will have a quick turnaround, returning to action on Friday to host ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Wildcats will face Big Ten for Northwestern at 10 a.m. on Friday, while No. 17 UCLA and NC State will face off at 2 p.m.
 
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.