April 12, 1998
The University of Kentucky will serve as host to the 1998 Southeastern Conference Women’s Tennis Championships at the newly renovated Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center Thursday, April 16, through Sunday, April 19. Defending champion Florida is currently ranked second in the nation. The Lady Gators have won 15 SEC crowns, including the past three straight titles. No. 4 Georgia has won four SEC championships. No other school has been named SEC champion.
In addition to Florida and Georgia, the SEC claims five other Top 25 schools: No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 9 Vanderbilt, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 20 Arkansas and No. 25 Kentucky. Florida is one of only two unbeaten teams in the country this season.
Not only will the tournament feature seven top 25 teams, but several highly ranked singles and doubles players will also participate. Georgia’s Marissa Catlin is No. 2 in the country, and fellow Lady Bulldog Vanessa Castellano is 18th. Ole Miss boasts No. 12 Agnes Muzamel and No. 20 Ivona Mihailova. Florida’s Dawn Buth is 13th in the country, and Tennessee’s Manisha Malhotra is 21st.
On the doubles side, three of the nation’s top six duos will compete in the SEC Tournament. Buth and Stephanie Nickitas of Florida are the top-ranked team, and the Georgia pair of Castellano and Catlin is No. 3. Tennessee’s Malhotra and Margie Lepsi are sixth, while Muzamel and Courtenay Chapman of Ole Miss are No. 8. Kristy Blumberg and Julie Ditty of Vanderbilt are 19th, and Kentucky’s team of Massoumeh Emami and Kelly Brown is No. 22.
The tournament marks the first time UK has hosted an event at its new outdoor facility. The Boone Tennis Center features a 1,500-seat stadium for its two center courts with an additional four hard courts. The center courts were dedicated in the memory of top-ranked junior player and Lexington native Ryan Holder, who was killed in an automobile accident. First-round play begins Thursday, April 16, at 10 a.m. Semifinals take place Saturday, April 18, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and the championship match is Sunday at noon.
