Setting the Scene
Lexington, Ky. ?The No. 30 Kentucky men?s tennis team (16-8, 7-4 Southeastern Conference) returns to action Friday at the SEC Tournament in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Cats enter the tournament as the fourth seed and will receive a first-round bye. UK will await the winner of Thursday?s LSU vs. Mississippi State match. The Wildcats finished in a tie for fourth in the conference with LSU but received a bye due to their 4-3 victory on March 10 over the Tigers. Fans can check ukathletics.com for live stats and recaps throughout UK?s tournament run.
Scouting the Possible Second Round Opponents
LSU finished the regular season with a 15-8 (7-4 SEC) record. The Tigers enter the SEC Tournament as the fifth seed. LSU is currently ranked 20th in the nation after being as high No. 10 on Feb. 13 The Tigers finished the season winning six out of their last eight matches including wins over No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 14 Florida.
LSU currently has two players ranked in the top 110, including the nation?s 24th-ranked player in Ken Skupski. Skupski is 28-9 on the season, including a straight-set win over Kentucky freshman Bruno Agostinelli on March 10. The junior also captured the SEC Indoor Singles Championship by beating Georgia?s Matic Omerzel back on Jan. 23, in Lexington, Ky.
Mississippi State finished the season 12th in the SEC with a 1-10 record (4-13 overall). The Bulldogs ended the regular season on a seven-match losing streak and are unranked. MSU?s lone ranked singles player is No. 80 Ivan Bjelica. Bjelica is 17-15 on the season and has played mainly at the No. 1 or 2 spot in the Bulldogs? lineup.
Last Time Out
The Cats are coming off a week in which they split a pair of matches at home. On Wed., April 12, UK fell 7-0 to No. 5 Illinois. Kentucky returned on Sat., April 15, to finish the regular season with a victory by beating Vanderbilt 4-3. The Cats were led by seniors Nate Emge and Alex Hume, who defeated Evan Dufaux and Ryan Preston, to clinch the match over the Commodores.
Cats in the Rankings
Kentucky enters this weekend?s matches ranked 30th. All 12 of the teams in the SEC are ranked in the top 70. UK currently has three ranked players. UK?s highest ranked player is Hume at No. 51. The Alexandria, Va., native is second on the team with 28 victories this season. Ranked No. 73 is freshman Bruno Agostinelli. Agostinelli is third on the team with 25 wins. Rounding out the Cats? ranked players is No. 122 Emge.
Last Season at the SEC Tournament
At the 2005 SEC Tournament, Kentucky went 1-1 advancing to the quarterfinals. In the first round, UK defeated Vanderbilt 4-0. The Cats clinched the match when Hume beat Vandy?s Jason Pinsky in straight sets 6-4, 6-0 at the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Kentucky?s run ended in the quarterfinals when Florida upended the Cats 4-2. UK senior sensation Jesse Witten and Hume recorded wins at the No. 1 and 2 positions over the Gators.
Next on Tap
The Wildcats will return to action on May 12-13 when they compete in the first round of the Men?s NCAA Tennis Championships. First- and second-round sites will be determined following the conclusion of conference postseason tournaments.
