The Wildcats Conclude Regular Season at No. 18 Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 24 University of Kentucky women’s tennis team culminates its regular-season schedule at No. 18 Tennessee on Sunday, a 1 p.m. first serve in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Wildcats are 17-6 overall and boast a 7-5 mark in the Southeastern Conference, less than a week before the 2019 SEC Championship in College Station, Texas, April 17-21.
Tennessee is fifth in the league standings, one placement in front of UK, highlighting an 18-6 mark and an 8-4 mark in the conference. The Volunteers have one singles player ranked in the ITA/Oracle Top 125 in No. 72 Sadie Hammond. Hammond paired with Kaitlin Staines makeup the 11th-ranked doubles team in the nation, featuring a 16-2 mark overall.
This weekend marks arguably the toughest on UK’s schedule, having faced the second-best team in the nation on Friday at No. 2 Georgia, followed by meeting No. 18 Tennessee in a road dual match to conclude the regular season on Sunday. The Wildcats dropped its meeting at Georgia on a 4-0 decision. Of note, redshirt-sophomore Lesedi Jacobs won the first set against the 20th-best singles player in the nation on a lengthy 7-6 (12) outcome on the second court, before the singles match retired.
Kentucky’s lone senior Justina Mikulskyte has reached her highest rank of the season in the national singles poll at No. 15. The Lithuania native is 13-4 overall, tracing a 7-3 mark in the conference. She’s defeated seven ranked opponents this season, dropping matches to only two ranked foes. Paired with redshirt-junior Akvile Paražinskaite, the upperclassmen are the 17th-best doubles team in the nation. The duo advertise a remarkable record against doubles teams in the polls, 7-0. Together, the UK duo is 12-4 overall on court one.
The UK women’s tennis team is 8-4 in ranked matchups this season, including one upset at then-No. 19 LSU when the Wildcats forced a 4-3 outcome over the Tigers. In all-time dual matches with Tennessee, the Volunteers have the winning advantage on a close 23-20 mark.
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At the conclusion of all SEC matches on Sunday, the league office will release the SEC Championship bracket. The UK women’s tennis team is currently the sixth team in the league, which would give them a bye match and would likely play in match five, Thursday, April 18, at 3 p.m. ET. Finalized standings and the tournament bracket will be released on Sunday night at an undecided time.
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