The 18th-ranked University of Kentucky men?s tennis team will meet a top-10 opponent for the second time this season when the Cats take on fifth-ranked Baylor (6-1) Sunday in Waco, Texas. The match is set for a 2 p.m. ET start at the Baylor Tennis Center.

The high level of tennis expected Sunday is evidenced by the rankings of eight student-athletes in the ITA Top 100 between the two teams. Kentucky features 16th-ranked Jesse Witten, 58th-ranked Tigran Martirosyan, 81st-ranked Evan Austin and 100th-ranked Nate Emge. Baylor counters with third-ranked Benedikt Dorsch, fifth-ranked Benjamin Becker, 79th-ranked Ivor Lovrak and 95th-ranked Matija Zgaga.

Baylor dealt Kentucky a 6-1 loss a season ago in Lexington and a 4-3 loss in the Cats? last trip to Waco in 2002. UK Coach Dennis Emery recognizes the effort needed from his Cats to end the string of Baylor victories.

?We have no illusions that this is going to require anything less than our best effort,? UK Coach Dennis Emery said. ?Baylor may be the favorite to win the NCAA Championship later this spring. We feel this should be a tight match that could come down to the very end. This should be the feature match in college tennis this weekend.?

In addition to Baylor, the Cats have several other top-10 opponents on the 2004 slate, including defending NCAA Champion Illinois, Florida, Ole Miss, and 2003 NCAA Runner-Up Vanderbilt.