Setting the Scene
LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The No. 21 Kentucky women?s tennis team (15-8) travels to compete in the Southeastern Conference Tournament beginning Friday in Gainesville, Fla., at Florida?s Ring Tennis Complex. The Wildcats finished the regular season with an 8-3 SEC record tying them for third in the conference with Georgia. UK clinched the third seed in the tournament due to its 4-3 victory over the Dawgs on March 31 in Lexington. The Cats will await the winner of Thursday?s first-round match up between Alabama and Mississippi State. Fans can check ukathletics.com for live stats and recaps throughout UK?s tournament run.
Scouting the Possible Opponents
The Crimson Tide finished the regular season with a 6-5 SEC record (10-10 overall) and captured the SEC Western Division crown. The Tide are currently ranked No. 33 after winning three out of their five matches to end the season and are the sixth seed in the SEC Tournament. ‘Bama has two ranked singles players in No. 19 Robin Stephenson and No. 102 Ashley Bentley. Stephenson and Bentley also team to be the nation?s 14th-ranked doubles tandem. Back on March 5, Alabama defeated UK 4-3 at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center giving the Cats their first SEC loss of the season.
Mississippi State is the 11th-seed in this weekend?s tournament after going 3-15 (1-10 SEC). The Bulldogs have dropped their last eight matches. The Wildcats defeated MSU on March 24, 7-0, in Starkville, Miss.
Last Time Out
In UK?s last match on Sat., March 15, the No. 8 Vanderbilt Commodores defeated the Cats 5-2 at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center in Nashville. With the loss, the Wildcats concluded the regular season in third place in the SEC standings.
The ?Dores claimed the match by winning the doubles point before taking four out of the six singles matches. The Cats captured their two singles victories at the No. 4 and 6 spots in the lineup. Senior Danielle Petrisko got UK on the board with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 win over VU?s Courtney Ulery while freshman Jessica Giuggioli swept the ?Dores Maggie Yahner 6-3, 7-5. Giuggioli, a native of Torino, Italy, finished the season a team-best 9-1 in the SEC.
Cats in the Rankings
Kentucky enters this weekend?s matches ranked 21st. Ten of the 12 Southeastern Conference teams are now ranked in the top 60.
Junior Kim Coventry is currently the Wildcats? lone ranked singles player at No. 46. The Melbourne, Australia, native has recorded 25 wins on the season to lead the team. Coventry also teams with junior Joelle Schwenk to be the 52nd-ranked doubles team.
Last Season at the SEC Tournament
In 2005, the Cats reached the finals of the SEC tournament and fell to No. 8 Florida 4-2 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Cats received a first-round bye and defeated Mississippi State 4-1 in the quarterfinals. UK advanced to the finals with a 4-2 victory over seventh-ranked Georgia. Current Wildcats Coventry, Schwenk, Petrisko and Lara Maurer recorded the team?s four victories.
Next on Tap
The Cats will return to action on May 12-13 when they compete in the first round of the Women?s NCAA Tennis Championships. First- and second-round sites will be determined following the conclusion of conference postseason tournaments.
