Oct. 29, 2001

Sarah Witten, a junior on the University of Kentucky women’s tennis team, prevailed in her semifinal match at the ITA Southeast Regional Championship on Monday, Oct. 29, to earn a spot in the National Indoor Championships in Dallas, Texas.

Witten, a Naples, Fla., native, defeated 16th-ranked Alison Ojeda of Tennessee in a three-set match to advance to the regional final and claim a bid to the National Indoors. Witten fought back after losing the opening set to take the match from the third-seeded Ojeda 1-6, 6-2, 6-2. In the final match, Witten was defeated by Duke’s Julie DeRoo, the nation’s 21st-ranked player, in three sets.

“This was a great experience and I think the level of tennis I was able to achieve really helped my confidence,” Witten said. “The level of tennis was extremely tough and there were a lot of great players there.”

In doubles action, Witten and partner Carolina Mayorga fell just short of their bid to advance to the Indoor Doubles Championship. The duo fell to the country’s second-ranked team, Janet Bergman and Bea Bielik of Wake Forest, in the doubles final.

“I can’t express how happy I am for bothSarah and Carolina,” Coach Mark Guilbeau said. “It was great to see Sarah come out today and defeat an extremely talented and proven player like Alison Ojeda. Often I think that the women’s tennis program at UK is underrated. We have earned several impressive honors over the past few years and there is no doubt in my mind that we are one of the top 20 programs in the nation.”