LEXINGTON ? The 28th-ranked Kentucky women?s tennis team dropped a hard-fought 5-2 decision to No. 17 Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon at the Boone Tennis Center in the regular-season finale for both teams.
The Commodores started by winning a hotly contested doubles point, clinching in a tiebreaker at No. 3. From there, Kentucky got a lone win at No. 5, but dropped a trio of three setters as Vandy secured the win.
In doubles, 11th-ranked Kim Coventry and Joelle Schwenk scored a big win at No. 1, beating Amanda Taylor and Amanda Fish, the nation?s 18th-ranked duo, 8-5. Carolina Escamilla and Sarah Woestmann fell on court two to No. 51 Taka Bertrand and Catherine Newman, 8-5, setting up the deciding match.
Caroline Winebrenner and Whitney Spencer, playing together in an SEC match for the first time, fell to Courtney Ulery and Liberty Sveke, 9-8 (7) as the Commodores went up 1-0.
The top half of Vanderbilt?s powerful singles lineup secured the final three victories needed to clinch the match. However, it wasn?t easy as Coventry pushed the 25th-ranked Fish to a third set before falling in a tiebreaker, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4). The win clinched the match for the Commodores.
Prior to Coventry?s loss, Schwenk, ranked 110th, was equally tough on Taylor, ranked 36th, before eventually going down 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Vandy also scored a three-set win from No. 101 Taka Bertrand, who knocked off Carolina Escamilla on No. 4, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.
The Commodores? other point came from the 38th-ranked Newman who downed Woestmann, 6-3, 7-5.
Kentucky got its lone point from Spencer on No. 5. She steamrolled Courtney Ulery, 6-2, 6-1, to run her win streak to four. She is 8-2 in her last 10 matches.
The Wildcats wrap up the regular-season with a 17-6 overall record and a 6-5 mark in the Southeastern Conference. Next up, UK hosts the SEC Tournament beginning on Thursday morning at the Boone Tennis Center. The Wildcats earned the No. 6 seed in the draw.
Vanderbilt 6, Kentucky 1
Doubles
No. 1 – No. 11 Coventry/Schwenk (UK) def. No. 18 Taylor/Fish (VU), 8-5
No. 2 – No. 51 Bertrand/Newman (VU) def. Escamilla/Woestmann (UK), 8-5
No. 3 – Ulery/Skeve (VU) def. Winebrenner/Spencer (UK), 9-8 (7)
Singles
No. 1 – No. 25 Amanda Fish (VU) def. Kim Coventry (UK), 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4)
No. 2 – No. 36 Amanda Taylor (VU) def. No. 110 Joelle Schwenk (UK), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 – No. 38 Catherine Newman (VU) def. Sarah Woestmann (UK), 6-3, 7-5
No. 4 – No. 101 Taka Bertrand (VU) def. Carolina Escamilla (UK), 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
No. 5 – Whitney Spencer (UK) def. Courtney Ulery (VU), 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 – Liberty Sveke (VU) def. Jessica Giuggioli (UK), 6-3, 7-6 (1)
