Kentucky Rolls Past Southeast Missouri State in Sunday’s Doubleheader
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky women’s tennis team impressed in its second doubleheader of the season on Sunday, defeating Southeast Missouri State 6-1 and 4-0 at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. Following both victories, the Wildcats improve to 6-0 while the Redhawks begin the year at 0-2.
Kentucky began the first match by securing the doubles point behind the duo of Lidia Gonzalez and Carla Girbau defeating Lera Valeeva and Ksenia Shikanova, 6-3. Elizabeth Stevens and Carlota Molina, the 59th-ranked doubles pair, also bested Romana Tarajova and Myroslava Zelenchuk, 6-2.
Florencia Urrutia got the first singles point of the day for Kentucky, handily defeating Shikanova 6-3, 6-1 on court four. No. 100 Molina topped Zelenchuk 6-3, 7-6(4) in the second spot while Stevens outlasted Tarajova 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2 on the first court to earn her second clinching point in as many matches.
Playing the entire match all the way through, Lidia Gonzalez bested Vivian Lai in a 6-2, 6-0 decision on court five while Maialen Morante picked up her first singles win of the season against Valeeva, 6-0, 6-3, in the sixth spot.
Just as they did in the first match, the Wildcats started the second one against the Redhawks by claiming the doubles point. Fiona Arrese and Urrutia extended their unblemished record to 4-0 on the year after taking down Tarajova and Zelenchuk, 6-3, while Girbau and Ellie Eades did the same to Daniela Hlacikova and Lai, 6-2, to seal it.
After suffering her first loss of the season in the opening match, Arrese bounced back and took care of business against Shikanova, 6-1, 6-3, on court four to kickstart another successful showing in singles for the Wildcats.
Girbau quickly extended UK’s lead to 3-0 after registering a 6-1, 6-2 win over Hlacikova on the second court. On court three just moments later, Urrutia gave Kentucky the sweep after topping Zelenchuk, 6-1, 6-2, for the first clinch of her Wildcat career.
UK has three weeks off from competition before returning to action on Sunday, Feb. 13 for a doubleheader with Penn State and Western Kentucky inside the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. The match versus the Nittany Lions is set for 11 a.m. ET and first serve against the Lady Toppers is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Match One
Kentucky 6, Southeast Missouri 1
Singles
1. Elizabeth Stevens (UK) def. Romana Tarajova (SEMO) 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2
2. No. 100 Carlota Molina (UK) def. Myroslava Zelenchuk (SEMO) 6-3, 7-6(4)
3. Daniela Hlacikova (SEMO) def. Fiona Arrese (UK) 5-7, 6-0, 6-1
4. Florencia Urrutia (UK) def. Ksenia Shikanova (SEMO) 6-3, 6-1
5. Lidia Gonzalez (UK) def. Vivian Lai (SEMO) 6-2, 6-0
6. Maialen Morante (UK) def. Lera Valeeva (SEMO) 6-0, 6-3
Order of finish: 4, 3, 2, 1*, 5, 6
Doubles
1. No. 59 Elizabeth Stevens/Carlota Molina (UK) def. Romana Tarajova/Myroslava Zelenchuk (SEMO) 6-2
2. Lidia Gonzalez/Carla Girbau (UK) def. Lera Valeeva/Ksenia Shikanova (SEMO) 6-3
3. Fiona Arrese/Florencia Urrutia (UK) vs. Daniela Hlacikova/Vivian Lai (SEMO) Unfinished
Order of finish: 1, 2*
Match Two
Kentucky 4, Southeast Missouri 0
Singles
1. No. 100 Carlota Molina (UK) vs. Romana Tarajov (SEMO) Unfinished
2. Carla Girbau (UK) def. Daniela Hlacikova (SEMO) 6-1, 6-2
3. Florencia Urrutia (UK) def. Myroslava Zelenchuk (SEMO) 6-1, 6-2
4. Fiona Arrese (UK) def. Ksenia Shikanova (SEMO) 6-1, 6-3
5. Lidia Gonzalez (UK) vs. Manuela Barriga (SEMO) Unfinished
6. Maialen Morante (UK) vs. Vivian Lai (SEMO) Unfinished
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*
Doubles
1. No. 59 Elizabeth Stevens/Carlota Molina (UK) vs. Ksenia Shikanova/Lera Valeeva (SEMO) Unfinished
2. Carla Girbau/Ellie Eades (UK) def. Daniela Hlacikova/Vivian Lai (SEMO) 6-2
3. Fiona Arrese/Florencia Urrutia (UK) def. Myroslava Zelenchuk/Romana Tarajova (SEMO) 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 3*
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s tennis program, follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
