The first-round pairings for the 2005 ITA National Women?s Team Indoor Championships unveiled Monday by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association reveal a difficult opening challenge for No. 14 Kentucky. The Cats will take on No. 3 Clemson, a 2004 NCAA semifinalist and the tournament?s second seed, in Thursday?s first-round action. UK and CU will do battle at approximately 3 p.m. CST at Wisconsin?s A.C. Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison.

Kentucky will make its seventh appearance in the National Indoors this week. UK owns a 6-12 overall record in the event with its best finishes in the 1988 and 1989 quarterfinals. Kentucky lost in the opening round to Northwestern in the opening round of the 2004 National Indoors before falling to Harvard and defeating Southern California in consolation play.

Clemson, like Kentucky, features doubles and singles lineups stocked with nationally-ranked talent. Representing Clemson in doubles are the 21st-ranked pair of Daniela Alvarez and Maria Brito and the 25th-ranked tandem of Alix Lacelarie and Julie Coin. The Tigers boast four ranked singles players in the fifth-ranked Coin, 88th-ranked Romy Farah, the 97th-ranked Alvarez and the 114th-ranked Brito. UK counters with seventh-ranked Aibika Kalsarieva, 30th-ranked Sarah Foster and 58th-ranked Kim Coventry. Kentucky is the only school in the country with two doubles pairs ranked among the top-11, nationally. Kalsarieva and Foster hold a No. 6 doubles ranking, while Coventry and Joelle Schwenk come in at No. 11.

Kentucky leads its series with Clemson by a 5-3 margin.