Jan. 26, 2010

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Looking to ride momentum built from a 2-0 start last weekend, the No. 14 Kentucky men’s tennis team travels to No. 27 Virginia Tech (0-0) at 2 p.m. EST inside the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center on Wednesday.

Last Saturday, the Wildcats posted impressive wins over Atlantic-10 power Xavier and Ohio Valley contender Morehead State. Kentucky was incredible in the singles portion against Xavier, scoring all six singles points. Sophomores Eric Quigley and Alex Musialek, ranked No. 8 and No. 39, respectively, lead the Wildcats at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles position. Also posting wins against Xavier was senior Alex Lambropoulos, juniors Brad Cox and Alberto Gonzalez, and freshman Anthony Rossi.

UK used strong singles play to beat the Eagles as well. With Quigley taking a rest, Musialek, Rossi, Gonzalez and Cox each stepped up to win their second match of the day and clinch the UK victory. Rossi and Gonzalez were brilliant in the victory. Both Wildcats posted 6-0, 6-0 wins against MSU competition. 

Kentucky will have more of a challenge against the 27th-ranked Hokies. VT boasts two players in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association top-100 poll in No. 75 Patrick Daciek and No. 100 Sebastien Jacques. Tech will also be led by Yoann Re, a senior who advanced to the 2009 NCAA Singles Championship.

This will mark the first dual-match of the season for Tech, which finished last season with a 15-8 overall record and a final ITA ranking of 26th. The Hokies also advanced to their third consecutive NCAA Championships but lost in the second round to Georgia. 

The teams last met in the 2008 NCAA Championships first round in Knoxville, Tenn., where VT beat the Wildcats 4-0.