October 2, 1998

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of Kentucky women’s tennis team began play in the Lady Gamecock Classic on Friday, seeing action in singles and doubles matches.

In the “A” singles flight, UK’s Massoumeh Emami topped Jackie Houston of Wake Forest 6-4, 6-2, while Kelly Brown of Kentucky was edged 6-3, 6-4, by Wake’s 47th-ranked Mariel Verban.

Brown and Emami teamed up in “A” flight doubles, besting Janet Bergman and Maren Haus of Wake, 9-8.

Brooke Skeen and Christy Sigurski battled for UK in the “B” flight, with Skeen defeating Lynn-Yin Tan of South Carolina, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, while Wake’s Haus downed Sigurski, 6-1, 6-1.

Skeen and Sigurski edged Wake’s Verban and Houston, 8-6, in “B” flight doubles.

In the “C” flight, Shannon Stafford of UK dropped a heartbreaker, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (5), to 81st-ranked Bergman of WFU. Jackie Spicijaric, playing in her first match as a Wildcat, was defeated, 6-4, 6-2, by South Carolina’s Valentine Vernaz.

Stafford and Spicijaric battled valiantly in their first doubles match as a tandem, but the duo fell to Tan and Tamara Sutton of South Carolina, 8-6. Play in the Classic resumes tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Lady Gamecock Classic
Columbia, S.C.

“A” Flight Singles

Massoumeh Ememi, UK, def. Jackie Houston, WF, 6-4, 6-2 Mariel Verban, WF, def, Kelly Brown, UK, 6-3, 6-4 “B” Flight Singles
Brooke Skeen, UK, def. Lynn-Yin Tan, USC, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 Maren Haus, WF, def. Christy Sigurski, UK, 6-1, 6-1 “C” Flight Singles
Janet Bergman, WF, def. Shannon Stafford, UK, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (5) Valentine Vernaz, USC, def. Jackie Spicijaric, UK, 6-4, 6-2

“A” Flight Doubles

Brown/Emami, UK, def. Bergman/Haus, WF, 9-8 “B” Flight Doubles
Sigurski/Skeen, UK, def. Verban/Houston, WF, 8-6 “C” Flight Doubles
Sutton/Tan , USC, def. Spicijaric/Stafford, UK, 8-6