Lexington, Ky. ? Down 3-1 for the third time in as many matches, the No. 20 Kentucky men?s tennis team rallied to defeat No. 55 Mississippi State 4-3 Friday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center. Junior Greg Johnstone registered his first Southeastern Conference victory of the season to clinch Kentucky’s eighth straight win. With the victory, UK remains unbeaten in SEC action at 5-0.
?This match tonight was another great victory for us after we put ourselves in a hole down 3-1,? head coach Dennis Emery said. ?We showed a lot of heart and character coming back to get this victory.?
Kentucky (12-3) began the match by winning the doubles point. The Cats and the Bulldogs split the matches at the No. 2 and 3 spots in the lineup before seniors Alex Hume and Nate Emge clinched the point. Emge and Hume recorded their second SEC win of the season when they beat MSU?s Jose-Carlos Pinto and Ivan Bjelica 8-5.
?Gaining the doubles point was huge,? Emery said. ?Alex (Hume) and Nate (Emge) played their best doubles match of the season tonight.?
After losing the doubles point, the Bulldogs responded by winning the first three singles matches. MSU went up 3-1 when Pierre Mouillon snapped Hume?s 13-match winning streak with a 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory.
With the match on the line, UK rallied for the third straight contest. The rally began when senior Carey Rubin outlasted MSU?s Philippe Frassinoux in three sets. Rubin took the first set 7-5 before dropping the second set 6-7. With the Cats facing defeat, Rubin came out in the third set with his best effort defeating Frayssinoux 6-1 to bring UK one match away from tying.
Shortly after Rubin?s victory, sophomore Marcus Sundh tied the match with the Bulldogs at 3-3. Sundh picked up his eighth consecutive victory by soundly defeating MSU?s Florent Girod 6-2, 6-3.
The final match came down to the Morehead State transfer Johnstone. The reigning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year responded by sweeping the Bulldogs? Ryan Farlow 6-4, 6-4.
?This was a really good win against a team that was ranked as high as No. 19 this season,? Emery said.
“At the beginning of this season, I think our depth was in question. I think tonight we answered some of those questions winning at the No. 4-6 spots.?
The Cats will return to the Boone Center on Sunday when they battle No. 13 Ole Miss. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EST. Fans can ukathletics.com for live stats and a recap following the match.
No. 20 UK def. No. 55 MSU 4-3
Doubles
1.Emge/Hume (UK) def. Pinto/Bjelica (MSU) – 8-5
2.Moullion/Giord (MSU) def. Johnstone/Sundh (UK) – 8-2
3.Agostinelli/Hodge (UK) def. Frayssinoux/Farlow (MSU) – 8-4
Singles
1.Pierre Moullion (MSU) def. Alex Hume (UK) – 2-6, 7-6, 6-3
2.Ivan Bjelica (MSU) def. Bruno Agostinelli (UK) – 6-4, 6-4
3.Jose-Carlos Pinto (MSU) def. Nate Emge (UK) – 6-4, 6-3
4.Carey Rubin (UK) def. Philippe Frayssinoux (MSU) – 7-5, 6-7, 6-1
5.Marcus Sundh (UK) def. Florent Girod (MSU) – 6-2, 6-3
6.Greg Johnstone (UK) def. Ryan Farlow (MSU) – 6-4, 6-4
