Nov. 16, 2001
The University of Kentucky women’s tennis program recently completed its fall season with a number of encouraging performances. The Wildcats will look to build on the confidence that the autumn brought them as they prepare to do battle in the nation’s toughest tennis conference.
Junior Sarah Witten closed out her fall campaign with an extraordinary performance at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Indoors in Dallas, Texas. The Naples, Fla., native earned a spot in the singles competition of the prestigious tournament with wins over two top-30 opponents. At the National Indoors, Witten was able to advance to the round of 16 before falling to 28th-ranked Sarah Borwell of Houston.
Witten not only claimed a spot in the singles bracket of the Grand Slam event, but she and partner Carolina Mayorga were able to claim a spot in the doubles tournament. The Wildcat duo, ranked 10th in the nation, received an at-large bid to the tournament thanks to several wins over highly-ranked opponents, including the country’s fourth and fifth-ranked tandems. While in Dallas, Witten and Mayorga were able to score an opening-round victory before losing in the round of 16. The duo finished out the fall season with a remarkable14-3 record against some of the nation’s elite tennis players.
“Sarah and Carolina are bringing our entire team to a new level and increasing the standard and expectation of UK women’s tennis,” Coach Mark Guilbeau said. “I am very proud of their commitment, concentration and level of play.”
Away for the National Indoors, the remaining Wildcats traveled to Stone Mountain, Ga., to compete in the Southeastern Conference Fall Tournament. Another impressive showing at the SEC’s confirmed the Wildcats’ fall season as one of the best from teams around the country.
Juniors Amy Trefethen and Jill Buckley capped off their fall with a dominating performance in Stone Mountain. The duo broke into the lineup late last season at the No. 3 doubles position. This season, the tandem has scored a number of notable wins, including an incredible 8-1 rout of eighth-ranked Jennifer Radman and Kathy Boyanovich of South Carolina.
Singles action at the SEC Fall Tournament saw two Cats step up to tally both wins and confidence for UK. Buckley left the Peach State with three quality wins in Flight 1 under her belt, while fellow junior Shannon Stafford gained four straight-set wins in the SEC.
With several Wildcats enjoying a great deal of success in recent months, the 2001-02 squad promises to have the depth and talent to achieve the lofty goals it has set for itself.
“The progress that this program has made is fantastic,” Coach Mark Guilbeau said. “We always knew that we had the talent on this team to compete on the national level. Now that we have had some success and are confident in ourselves, the sky is the limit for this team. I truly believe that the program we have here in Kentucky is among the nation’s elite.”
