March 31, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky women’s tennis team, fresh off a 6-1 home victory over Auburn, will host the No. 2 Florida Gators on Friday and No. 38 South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.
Senior Megan Broderick and sophomore Jessica Stiles each won their co-team leading eighth victories in singles play against Auburn on Sunday. Freshman Khristina Blajkevitch leads Kentucky with a 4-2 record in Southeastern Conference play and leads all UK rookies with seven singles victories. The duo of Blajkevitch and Broderick is the Cats’ top doubles tandem with four victories this season. The Wildcats (4-14, 2-4 SEC) are 4-3 at home this season and have won each of their past two SEC matches at the Boone Tennis Complex by 6-1 counts.
Florida (17-1, 6-0 SEC) has won 20 consecutive regular-season SEC matches entering this week. The Gators, 2010 SEC champions, have five players ranked inside the top 100 of the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings. Led by sophomore Allie Will, the No. 6 ranked player in the country, the Gators also feature sophomore Lauren Embree, the No. 33 ranked player in singles, and freshmen Olivia Janowicz, Alex Cercone and Sofie Oyen, the No. 41, No. 47, No. 93 ranked players in the country, respectively.
The 38th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks (11-5, 3-3 SEC) split their SEC matches last weekend, beating Mississippi State 7-0 in Starkville, Miss., while losing at home to No. 29 Ole Miss by a 4-1 score. Junior Anya Morgina extended her winning streak to six matches at No. 1 singles with a straight-set win over No. 27 Kristi Boxx of Ole Miss. Morgina, who is currently ranked No. 39, has beaten three players ranked among the top 30 during the month of March and is the first Gamecock to reach the 20-win plateau in singles this season.
Friday’s match against the Gators will be the Wildcats’ Blue and White game as well as UK Student Day where they a student will have an opportunity to win a free tennis lesson from UK tennis coaches. The first 50 fans at Saturday’s game will receive a free pink tennis shirt.
For live updates of the Wildcats’ matches against Florida and South Carolina this weekend, as well as season-long news on the women’s tennis team, visit UKathletics.com.
