Wildcats Earn Fifth Consecutive NCAA Championship Berth
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky women’s tennis team will make its fifth-straight NCAA Championship appearance this season as it heads to Evanston, Illinois, to take on Kansas State on May 11 at 1 p.m. ET. The two teams are joined in the regional by host-school Northwestern and Mid-American Conference champion Buffalo.
“We just watched the selection show and are grateful and excited to compete next weekend,” said head coach Carlos Drada. “We will prepare with a lot of energy so we can compete at our best level against Kansas State. We are looking forward to a great NCAA Tournament.”
Kentucky holds a 21-24 all-time record in the NCAA Championship, with its best finishes coming in 1988 and 2005 as the Wildcats advanced to the quarterfinals both years. The 2017 campaign saw Kentucky pick up a first-round victory over Dartmouth before falling to Michigan in the second round.
The Wildcats (14-10) earn their 24th overall NCAA Championship bid after finishing the regular season ranked No. 24 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and picking up seven wins over ranked foes.
Earning their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2003 and just the fourth in program history, Kansas State ended its regular season with a 14-10 overall record, including a 4-5 mark in Big 12 play. The match will mark the first-ever contest between the two teams.
Kansas State will be the second Big 12 foe UK has faced this season after earning a huge 4-1 victory over then-No. 16 Baylor on February 4.
Buffalo (17-3) picked up its second consecutive MAC title this year to earn another automatic bid to the tournament and just its third-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. A matchup with the Bulls would also be a first for Kentucky, as the two programs have never played.
With the No. 14 overall seed, Northwestern (21-5) will be making its 20th-straight appearance in the NCAA Championship. Northwestern is a familiar opponent for Kentucky, as the two programs met earlier this season in the ITA Kick-off Weekend where NU earned a 4-0 victory. Kentucky is 2-8 all-time against the Big Ten Wildcats, including an 0-2 record in the NCAA Tournament.
The two teams have not met in postseason play since 2009, where Kentucky fell to NU 4-1 in Evanston in the second round of the tournament.
Buffalo and Northwestern’s first round matchup will will follow at 4 p.m. on May 11. The winners of each match will then face off May 12 at 1 p.m. for a chance to head to Winston Salem, N.C. for the remainder of the tournament.
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.
