Mikulskyte, Paražinskaite Set for 2019 NCAA Singles, Doubles Championships
ORLANDO, Fla. – The NCAA Division I Women’s Singles and Doubles Championships are set to begin on May 20, and the University of Kentucky women’s tennis program will be represented in the elite field. Senior Justina Mikulskyte is among the 64-person singles field, and paired with redshirt junior Akvile Paražinskaite the doubles team was one of 32 tandems selected to contest in the doubles bracket.
Mikulskyte enters the national singles and doubles field for the first time in her decorated four seasons. The Lithuania native will open her postseason slate on Monday at 4 p.m., meeting Emily Arbuthnott of Stanford in the singles draw. The UK doubles team will make its first-round appearance on Tuesday – time is TBA – to face Graciela Rosas and Sophie Whittle of Gonzaga. The match also marks Paražinskaite’s first individual postseason debut.
Ranked as the 44th-best singles player in the ITA/Oracle National Singles Rankings, Stanford’s Arbuthnott has put together a 20-3 mark in dual matches this season – a consistent No. 4 competitor. Ranked just one marker ahead of Mikulskyte and Paražinskaite in the ITA/Oracle National Doubles Rankings, No. 15 Rosas and Whittle boast a 16-3 mark on the first court, earning a 4-3 record against ranked foes.
Mikulskyte and Paražinskaite led the Kentucky women’s tennis team to the NCAA Second Round and a 19-9 mark this season. It serves as the program’s best record since earning a 19-8 mark in 2007. No. 27 Mikulskyte, an All-SEC First Team selection, competed in the No. 1 slot in singles and in doubles throughout the season. She notched a 14-6 mark in singles, defeating seven nationally ranked players and receiving SEC Player of the Week honors twice in the dual season.
Paired with Paražinskaite, the 16th-ranked doubles team in the nation recorded a 13-7 mark and incredibly reported an 8-1 record against nationally ranked foes. The UK pair defeated four opponents ranked inside the top 15, including the then-No. 1 and then-No. 3 doubles teams in the nation.
The University of Central Florida and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission is host to the singles and doubles championships at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. The event concludes with the singles and doubles championship matches on May 25.
Live streaming can be found here.
For more on Kentucky women’s tennis, follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter and Instagram, Kentucky Women’s Tennis on Facebook, or on the web at UKathletics.com.
