Feb. 27, 2003
The ninth-ranked University of Kentucky men’s tennis team (6-4) will open conference play Friday when they take on No. 26 Tennessee (6-2). The match had been scheduled for 6 p.m. but has been moved to 1 p.m at the Boone Tennis Center on the UK campus.
The Cats and Vols battled three times last season with UK taking two of three from UT. Kentucky won in the consolation round of the 2002 National Indoors and in the regular season in Knoxville, but Tennessee prevailed in the NCAA quarterfinals.
UK features two nationally-ranked student-athletes in No. 10 Jesse Witten and No. 104 Rahim Esmail while UT contends with No. 40 Simon Rea and No. 69 Mark Dietrich. Rea also teams up with Mark Henderson to form the nation’s 37th-ranked doubles tandem.Kentucky Coach Dennis Emery views this match as a challenge for his Wildcats.
“This became a good rivalry last season and always is a very, very good match. I’m expecting a hotly-contested match,” Emery said.
The Cats are trying to rebound this weekend after a 1-2 performance in the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championship last weekend in Louisville. The lone win came against 22nd-ranked Georgia, whom UK will face Sunday at 1 p.m. in Lexington.
Friday’s match will mark Kentucky’s first home date since Feb. 12, when the Cats swept a day-night doubleheader against Appalachian State and Murray State.
