The 15th-ranked University of Kentucky men?s tennis team (5-3) returns to competition after a long layoff when the Cats meet 19th-ranked South Carolina (10-1) Friday in Columbia, S.C. The conference opener for both teams marks Kentucky?s first match since a 6-1 defeat on Sunday, Feb. 22 at Baylor.

Kentucky enters the match with a pair of Cats having moved up two spots in the latest ITA men?s singles rankings. Junior Jesse Witten scored the No. 14 ranking while junior Tigran Martirosyan moved up to No. 56. South Carolina entered this week with an unblemished record but fell to No. 36 North Carolina by a 6-1 count Tuesday in Columbia.

Kentucky scored a 4-3 victory over South Carolina a season ago in Lexington.