June 2, 1999
When three key seniors–Marcus Fluitt, Dan Spaner, and Cedric Kauffmann,the nations ninth-ranked singles player–graduated in 1998, it looked asif the Kentucky Wildcats would face an uphill battle in 1999 with itsperenially grueling schedule. But despite a young lineup that includedthree freshmen and no seniors in the top six singles slots, the Catsoverachieved all season and closed out an impressive year with a dominatingperformance in the NCAA Regionals and a Sweet Sixteen appearance.
Kentucky, whose schedule included 17 top-30 opponents and six foes rankedin the top ten, began the dual match season in February by winning five oftheir first seven matches, including victories over No. 24 Notre Dame andNo. 19 South Alabama at home.
The Cats took a 7-2 record to Tennessee for the first SoutheasternConference match of the season. The UK fell, 5-2, but rebounded with a 4-3over No. 11 South Carolina on the road. UK then dropped a close match atDuke, losing 4-3 to the fourth-ranked Blue Devils.
The Cats won four of their next five matches, improving their record to12-6 overall, 5-3 in the SEC. The wins bumped UK to 14th in the nation, butthen Vanderbilt upset UK, 5-2, in Nashville. Seventh-ranked Georgia thendefeated the Cats, but UK picked up a win against Arkansas at home to closeout conference play with a 6-5 record.
In one of the biggest wins of the season, UK defeated second-rankedIllinois, 4-3, in Champagne in the last match of the season.
UKs wave of momentum carried them to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals,where the Georgia Bulldogs handed UK another loss in the rematch, defeatingthem 4-3. UK finished fifth in the SEC with a 7-6 record.
With a No. 13 national ranking and a 15-9 record, the Cats then faced EastTennessee State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. UK easilydefeated the Bucs, 4-0, to advance to face No. 14 South Carolina. UKrecorded its second-straight shutout with a 4-0 victory in its rematch withthe Gamecocks.
UK dominated both ETSU and USC despite an injury that forced Johan Hesoun,the Cats No. 1 singles player, to sit out singles play against ETSU, andUKs placement in the only region that included two top-15 teams. Inaddition, freshmen played a crucial role as all but one of the Catssingles victories in the first and second rounds came from first-year players.
The Cats traveled to Athens, Ga., to face a rematch with Duke, now rankedNo. 2 in the nation.
Down 3-2 with two singles matches hanging in the balance, UK appeared tohave momentum and emotion on its side. No. 4 singles player Gustav Pousettehad won the first set and was a point away from 3-0 in the second against72nd-ranked Ramsey Smith when the tide turned in Smiths favor. UKs CarlosDrada, playing at No. 2, had dropped the first set to 26th-ranked DougRoot, but appeared to be on the comeback trail. Drada had come back todefeat Root in their match in March.
But Smith claimed a three-set win over Grunditz to clinch the 4-2 victoryfor the Blue Devils.
“Im proud of our team,” UK coach Dennis Emery said. “Starting the seasonwith a No. 32 preseason national ranking and improving to No. 13 shows theheart and character they played with all year.”
