Kentucky Topples NC State, 4-2
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After a tough loss on Friday, the No. 21 Kentucky women’s tennis bounced back in a big way on Saturday, taking down NC State, 4-2, in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend consolation match inside the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon.
Despite Emily Fanning and Mami Adachi teaming up to defeat No. 9 Anna Rogers/Claudia Wiktorin, 6-3, on court one, the Wildcats dropped both courts two and three in doubles to give up the first point in the match.
Kentucky evened the score as Fanning powered through No. 2 singles to win in straight sets. Adachi gave UK a 2-1 lead, downing NC State’s Helene Grimm, 6-2, 6-3, on court three, and the Wildcats would not relinquish the lead.
Freshman Lesedi Jacobs earned a huge win over No. 61 Wiktorian on court four. After breezing through the first set, 6-3, the second set was knotted at 5-5. Jacobs rallied to win back-to-back sets and pull out the victory.
The Wolfpack made a final push, as freshman Brianna Tulloch fell to NC State’s Bianca Moldovan, 6-0, 6-3, to give NCSU its second point.
It was up to junior Justina Mikulskyte to clinch the match for the Wildcats. After being down 0-4 in the first set, Mikulskyte hammered out six straight points to win the first set over Rogers. The second set came down to a tiebreak, where the two went point for point until tied at five apiece. Rogers rattled off the next two to win the set. In the third set, Mikulskyte quickly tallied up a 5-0 lead. Rogers fought back, taking two before Mikulskyte put the match away.
The Wildcats will be back in action Thursday, Feb. 1, as they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face Ohio State. The match is set to begin at 4 p.m. ET.
Agate
#21 Kentucky 4, NC State 2
Lexington, Ky. – Boone Tennis Complex
Jan. 27, 2018
Doubles (Order of Finish: 1-3-2)
1 – Emily Fanning/Mami Adachi (UK) def. #9 Anna Rogers/Claudia Wiktorin (ST), 6-3
2 – Adriana Reami/Amanda Rebol (ST) def. Justina Mikulskyte/Lesedi Jacobs (UK), 6-4
3 – Bianca Moldovan/Helene Grimm (ST) def. Diana Tkachenko/Brianna Tulloch (UK), 6-3
Singles (Order of Finish: 2-3-4-6-1)
1 – Justina Mikulskyte (UK) def. Anna Rogers (ST), 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2
2 – Emily Fanning (UK) def. Adriana Reami (ST), 6-2, 6-1
3 – Mami Adachi (UK) def. Helene Grimm (ST), 6-2, 6-3
4 – Lesedi Jacobs (UK) def. #61 Claudia Wiktorin (ST), 6-3, 7-5
5 – Diana Tkachenko (UK) vs. Amanda Rebol (ST), 7-5, 3-1, unf.
6 – Bianca Moldovan (ST) def. Brianna Tulloch (UK), 6-0, 6-3
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.
