March 1, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky women’s tennis team dropped its first Southeastern Conference match of the season, falling 4-3 to No. 50 Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., on Friday afternoon.
“We’re disappointed but not discouraged,” UK head coach Carlos Drada said. “Our players did a great job of playing with determination and putting themselves in positions to win, both things they have been working on.”
The Wildcats fell behind early as Arkansas won the doubles point. Yang Pang and Brittany Huxley defeated senior Jessica Stiles and freshman Kirsten Lewis 8-4 in the No. 3 doubles match. The doubles point was clinched for the Razorbacks with a 9-8 win in the No. 1 doubles slot.
The No. 2 singles position was the first to finish with Arkansas taking the point in straight sets. A 6-3, 6-3 win in the No. 5 singles slot for Arkansas gave the Razorbacks an early 3-0 lead.
Kentucky fought back from the early deficit, initiated by a straight sets win from sophomore Stephanie Fox in the No. 6 match. Fox worked to win the first set 7-6 before breezing to a 6-2 win in the second set.
Junior Caitlin McGraw took down Kimberly-Ann Surin in the No. 4 singles positions. The match was settled in two sets, 7-5, 6-4.
Trailing 3-2, two matches were left to decide the outcome of the match. With freshman Nadia Ravita in the No. 1 slot and sophomore Edmée Morin-Kougoucheff in the No. 3 slot, Kentucky took the first sets of the final two matches.
The Razorbacks fought back, with Pang winning the second set on court one 7-6 to force a third set. Pang took the third set from Ravita to clinch the Arkansas win.
On court three, Morin-Kougoucheff surrendered the second set to Sarah McLean. With Arkansas clinching the match during the third set on court three, play continued. Morin-Kougoucheff took the third set 6-4 to win No. 3 singles point and finalize the match score at 4-3.
“Playing in the SEC, you have to be ready to battle in matches like this,” Drada said. “We’re going to get back to playing well on Sunday. We can come back from this and look forward to getting back on the court on Sunday at LSU.”
The Wildcats move to 8-3 following the loss and will travel to Baton Rouge, La., on Sunday to face LSU at 1 p.m. ET.
LSU heads into the first weekend of SEC play with a 7-3 record in the spring. The 63rd ranked Tigers will host Vanderbilt on Friday before their matchup with Kentucky. LSU and Kentucky have one similar opponent, No. 67 Tulane. The Tigers defeated Tulane 4-2 while the Wildcats fell 6-1 to the Green Wave.
For live scoring of Sunday’s match, go to lsusports.net.
Arkansas 4, Kentucky 3
Singles
1. Yang Pang (ARK) def. No. 51 Nadia Ravita (UK)2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4
2. Claudine Paulson (ARK) def. Jessica Stiles (UK) 6-1, 6-0
3. Edmée Morin (UK) def. Sarah McLean (ARK) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
4. Caitlin McGraw (UK) def. Kimberley – Ann Surin (ARK) 7-5, 6-4
5. Ana Lorena Belmar Hernandez (ARK) def. Kirsten Lewis (UK) 6-3, 6-3
6. Stephanie Fox (UK) def. Brittany Huxley (ARK) 7-6, 6-2
Doubles
1. Claudine Paulson/ Segou Jonker (ARK) def. Caitlin McGraw / Nadia Ravita (UK) 9-8 (5)
2. Kimberley – Ann Surin/Sarah McLean (ARK) – Cece Witten / Edmée Morin (UK) 4-7, unf.
3. Brittany Huxley/Yang Pang (ARK) def. Jessica Stiles / Kirsten Lewis (UK) 8-4
Order of Finish
Doubles (3, 1)
Singles (2, 5, 6, 4, 1, 3)
