LEXINGTON, Ky. ?The No. 23 ranked Kentucky women?s tennis team (15-9 overall, 6-7 SEC) received its 12th consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships and will face No. 44 ranked Boise State (20-6, 5-1 WAC) in the first round of the tournament in Nashville, Tenn., on May 9.
The Wildcats, who are seeded second in the region, are participating in their 19th NCAA Tournament. The team?s best finish was in 1988 and again in 2005 when the Cats reached the quarterfinals. Last year the Wildcats lost to Georgia Tech 4-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Atlanta, Ga.
Boise State was the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) runner-up to Fresno State. The Broncos will make their fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament. UK and Boise State have never faced off on the courts.
Also playing in Nashville are host and No. 1 seed Vanderbilt and No. 4 seed Indiana State. The No. 11 Commodores (18-5, 8-5 SEC) finished fourth at the recent 2008 SEC Championship held in Auburn, Ala. Vandy defeated Tennessee after a first round bye to advance to the third round but was defeated by eventual runner-up Florida. The No. 70 Sycamores (13-6, 8-0 MVC) will be making the school?s first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament with an automatic bid after taking the Missouri Valley Conference Championship.
With a first round win, Kentucky can play either Indiana State or SEC rival Vanderbilt. UK has never seen action against the Sycamores, but the Cats are quite familiar with the Commodores. Kentucky and Vanderbilt played earlier this season in Nashville, with a UK losing to the Dores, 5-2.
The regional winner will advance to the ?Sweet Sixteen? in Tulsa, Okla., to be held May 15-26 at the University of Tulsa.
Kentucky is led by No. 85 ranked Megan Broderick and sophomore Christine Johnston, each with 18 wins. Johnston and partner Carolina Escamilla lead the Cats in doubles, ranked No. 37 in the country.
Kentucky and Boise State are scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. ET, at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center. Vanderbilt and Indiana State will follow at 2:00 p.m. ET. For complete coverage of Kentucky women?s tennis, please visit www.ukathletics.com.
