April 11, 2003
The 14th-ranked University of Kentucky women’s tennis team will play host to No. 10 Vanderbilt at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex on Saturday, Apr. 12. In addition to playing a pivotal Southeastern Conference match, UK will also say farewell to five women who have been the cornerstone of the Kentucky women’s tennis program for the last several years.
Seniors Leigh Bradwell, Jill Buckley, Shannon Stafford, Amy Trefethen and Sarah Witten will all play their final regular-season home match and will be honored in a brief senior-day ceremony at the beginning of the match.
“These five young women have meant so much to this program,” Coach Mark Guilbeau said. “Over the years they have dedicated themselves and shown the determination and spirit to do everything in their power to ensure the success of this program.
“Kentucky tennis fans can rest assured that this program will be successful for years to come based on the foundation these girls have paved over the years.”
UK (19-6, 8-2) comes into the weekend having won six-straight matches and 15 of its last 17. Over the course of that streak, Witten has won eight-consecutive singles matches, while she and Trefethen have won seven of eight doubles contests. The duo is ranked No. 11 in the country in doubles. Freshman Nathalie Roels has also won seven-consecutive singles matches. In addition Roels has paired with Stafford to win five out of seven doubles matches. Witten and Roels are each ranked nationall in singles play. Witten is No. 48, up from No. 49 in the last poll, and Roels has moved up from No. 101 to 75. Trefethen has also played well in singles, winning four of her last five contests. Rounding out the roster for UK is freshman Shannon Stough who has won five-consecutive matches. Buckley and Stafford have also contributed in singles play.
Vandy (17-3, 8-2 SEC), led by senior Sarah Riske and junior Aleke Tsoubanos, has won eight-consecutive matches, including a victory over then top-ranked Florida on March 16. Riske is ranked No. 15 in singles and Tsoubanos is in the top 100. In doubles, the duo is ranked fourth in the country.
With a victory on Saturday, the Cats will finish tied for second, with Florida, in the SEC. The match is scheduled to begin at Noon and admission is free.
