The University of Kentucky men’s tennis team will play host to one of the nation’s premiere collegiate tournaments this weekend, April 19-22, when the 2001 Southeastern Conference Championships turn Lexington, Ky., and UK’s Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex into a tennis hotbed.
The SEC, annually one of the nation’s top tennis conferences, is leading the way nationally in 2001. In the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, released today, all 12 member institutions are among the nation’s top 33, with Georgia leading the way at No. 2.
In singles play, the SEC clearly dominates the field with 23 of the top 50 players, five of the top six and seven of the top 10.
Arkansas’ Oskar Johansson leads the way for individuals with a No. 2 national ranking. In doubles, 11 tandems from the league are ranked in this week’s top 50, with Matias Boeker and Travis Parrott from Georgia leading the way.
Action in the tournament gets underway on Thursday, April 19, with four opening round matches. At 9 a.m. the sixth-seed Alabama takes on 11th-seed Florida, while No. 7-seed Auburn faces 10th-seed South Carolina at noon. In the afternoon matches, host Kentucky, the tournament’s fifth seed, battles 12th-seed Vanderbilt at 4 p.m., while eighth-seed Mississippi State squares off against No. 9-seed Arkansas in the evening’s final match at 7 p.m.
Georgia won the regular-season crown, earning the No. 1 seed in the tournament and a first-round bye. The Bulldogs will face the winner of the Mississippi State/Arkansas match on Friday, April 20 at 7 p.m. The No. 2-seed Tennessee also received a first-round bye and will face the Auburn/South Carolina winner at noon on Friday. No. 3-seed LSU will play the winner of the Alabama/Florida match on Friday at 9 a.m., while fourth-seed Ole Miss will play the victor in the Kentucky/Vanderbilt match at 4 p.m. in Friday’s quarterfinals.
At last year’s SEC Championship, Florida walked away with the tournament title, while Tennessee shared the regular-season crown with the Gators. Florida coach Ian Duvenhage was named the SEC Coach of the Year, and UF’s Justin O’Neal was named the conference Player of the Year.
Tickets are still available for the tournament through UK’s ticket office at (859) 257-1818 or (800) 928-CATS. Tickets for adults are $5 for a day pass, while children and senior citizens get in for $2. A tournament pass, good for all 11 matches, is available for $15. UK students are admitted for free with a student I.D. Tickets also will be sold at the gates starting on Thursday morning at 8 a.m.
