The No. 19 Kentucky men?s tennis team will open match play Wednesday with a doubleheader against Austin Peay and Butler. The Cats will take to the courts at noon EST against the Governors with the match vs. Butler set to begin at 4 p.m. EST.
Kentucky will open dual match season with a young squad. This year?s team has five freshman on its roster and will rely on its three seniors to lead the way.
Seniors Nate Emge, Alex Hume and Carey Rubin have all found success so far this season in tournament play. Emge, the nation?s 83rd-ranked player, has already knocked off three ranked players, including No. 23 Eric Claesson of Ole Miss and No. 96 Matic Omerzel of Georgia.
The 61st-ranked Hume and Rubin also have enjoyed early success against Southeastern Conference foes at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships. Both Hume and Rubin won a pair of matches to reach the round of 16.
The Cats will also rely on freshman Bruno Agostinelli and junior transfer Greg Johnstone. Agostinelli, the Niagara Falls, native enters Wednesday?s action as the team?s highest ranked player at No. 48 and leads the team with 14 wins. Johnstone, a transfer from Morehead State, was last year?s Ohio Valley Player of the Year.
?Wednesday?s doubleheader is a good way to open the season because it allows us to see all our players in action and to see how they respond competitively,? head coach Dennis Emery said.
Kentucky will be looking to notch its first victories against two teams that already have begun their match play. Austin Peay is 0-4 on the young season while Butler is 1-2. The past two seasons, Butler has come to Lexington to take part in the NCAA tournament and has been eliminated both years by the Cats.
?Austin Peay is a school that I have great memories of from when I coached there early in my career,? Emery said. ?When they called to schedule a match I thought it would be a great idea.?
?Butler is a senior laden team that has been to the NCAAs the last four years and is coming off a tough loss at Indiana where they won the doubles point and put themselves in a situation to win the match with their singles play.?
?This will not be your typical first day.?
Fans can check ukathletics.com for a live stats and a complete recap of the day?s action.
