Gainesville, Fla. ? The four-plus hour rain delay was worth the wait Saturday as the third-seeded Kentucky women?s tennis team advanced to the Southeastern Conference Tournament finals for the second consecutive season after defeating second-seeded Vanderbilt 4-2 at Florida?s Ring Tennis Complex. The Wildcats advanced to face the top-seeded Florida Gators in Sunday’s finals for the second straight season after freshman Jessica Giuggioli (ju-JAH-lee) clinched the match with a straight-set win in the No. 6 singles position.

No. 21 UK (17-8, 10-3 SEC) waited out a four-hour rain delay to defeat a Vanderbilt squad which had upended the Cats 5-2 this past Sunday in Nashville. Unlike the first meeting with the ?Dores, Kentucky jumped out to an early 1-0 lead by claiming the doubles point. Vandy took the first match when Taka Bertrand and Amanda Fish defeated UK?s team of junior Kim Coventry and freshman Carolina Escamilla 8-1 at the top spot in the lineup. The Cats rallied to win the next two matches at No. 2 and 3 to claim the point. The nation?s 45th-ranked team of juniors Lara Maurer and Joelle Schwenk turned back Vandy?s Amanda Taylor and Caroline Ferrell 8-4 while senior Danielle Petrisko and junior Caroline Winebrenner outlasted VU?s Courtney Ulery and Liberty Sveke 9-8 (7-3). Kentucky now moves to 15-1 when it wins the doubles point.

Kentucky continued to pour it on the Commodores by taking three out of five singles matches to clinch the victory and move on to the finals against the conference champion Gators.

For the second straight match, All-SEC second team selection Petrisko made quick work of her opponent to put UK up 2-1 to stay at the fourth position. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., native defeated Ulery for the second time this season 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) after Maurer fell to No. 35 Bertrand 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

First-team All-SEC performer Schwenk, who clinched the match yesterday against Alabama, swept No. 121 Taylor 6-4, 6-2 to put UK up 3-1 at the No. 3 slot. The victory marked the 10th against an SEC opponent this season for the native of Coconut Creek, Fla.

The match was clinched when Giuggioli, who made second-team All-SEC, defeated VU?s Maggie Yahner for second time this season at No. 6. The Torino, Italy, native showed the poise of a veteran sweeping Yahner in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. The victory gave Giuggioli her team-leading 11th against an SEC foe.

?I am really proud of our team,? head coach Carlos Drada said. ?The women played with amazing focus and determination. We beat a really strong Vanderbilt team for the first time in three years. We hope to compete with a lot of spirit in the championship match and we are eager to face a tough competitor.?

Kentucky will return to the courts at noon EDT looking for its first-ever SEC Tournament title against No. 4 Florida. Last season, UF dashed UK?s hopes of winning both the conference and tournament titles when it upended the Cats 4-2 in the finals. Florida owns the 28-1 advantage in the all-time series history after picking up the 6-1 victory over UK back on April 9. Fans can check ukathletics.com for live stats and a complete recap following the championship match.

No. 21 Kentucky def. No. 8 Vanderbilt 4-2

Doubles

No. 1 Bertrand/Fish, Vandy, def. #35 Coventry/Escamilla, UK 8-1
No. 2 #45 Schwenk/Maurer, UK def. Taylor/Ferrell, Vandy, 8-4
No. 3 Petrisko/Winebrenner, UK def. Ulery/Liberty Sveke, Vandy, 9-8 (3)

Singles

No. 1 #16 Amanda Fish, Vandy, def. #46 Kim Coventry, UK, 6-4, 7-5
No. 2 #35 Taka Bertrand, Vandy, def. Lara Maurer, UK 6-0, 6-1
No. 3 Joelle Schwenk, UK, def. #121 Amanda Taylor, Vandy, 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 Danielle Petrisko, UK, def. Courtney Ulery, Vandy, 6-1, 7-6 (1)
No. 5 Carolina Escamilla, UK, led Caroline Ferrell, Vandy, 6-3, 0-6, 2-1
No. 6 Jessica Giuggioli, UK, def. Maggie Yahner, Vandy, 6-3, 6-3