Feb. 5, 2003

The 34th-ranked University of Kentucky women’s tennis team heads to Madison, Wis., to participate in the USTA/ITA National Team Women’s Indoor Championships at Wisconsin’s A.C. Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The Cats begin play on Thursday at 4 p.m. EST against fourth-seeded Duke.

The Cats (3-2) make their first trip to the elite tournament after a weekend in which they won two matches at Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro. UK downed the Blue Raiders by a score of 5-2 and blanked Murray State, 7-0.

The Blue Devils, ranked fourth in the nation, are led by Kelly McCain and Amanda Johnson. Both players are ranked in the ITA national rankings, McCain at No. 2 and Johnson, No. 15.

The two teams met last year in the final match of the Minnesota Court Classic in Minneapolis. Duke prevailed in the match by a score of 5-2. Overall, Duke leads the series by a count of 10-4. The winner of this match will face either fifth-ranked North Carolina or 35th-ranked Texas A&M.