March 31, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After a disappointing road loss to No. 26 Auburn last week, the 14th-ranked University of Kentucky men’s tennis team hopes to bounce back in two key Southeastern Conference road matches at No. 15 Florida and South Carolina this weekend.
Kentucky (18-6, 3-3 SEC) will start the weekend with a showdown at Florida (12-5, 5-1 SEC) on Friday at 3 p.m. ET, before wrapping up the road swing with South Carolina (6-12, 1-5 SEC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
The Wildcats are coming off a 2-1 week where they went 1-1 against top-50 ranked teams, including a win over No. 43 Maryland. The Wildcats were led by juniors Eric Quigley and Alex Musialek, and senior Alberto Gonzalez during the week, who each posted two singles wins, with Musialek earning a 1-0 mark in SEC play.
UK enters the weekend with four ranked singles players and two ranked doubles tandems in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. Quigley leads the Wildcats coming in at No. 7 in the nation, falling out of the top five for the first time since January. The native of Pewee Valley, Ky., is 15-5 in dual matches this season, including a 3-3 record in SEC play.
Musialek is ranked 51st in the nation, after a really strong junior season so far. The native of Dax, France, is 13-7 in dual-match play this season with a team high five wins in SEC play. Gonzalez moved up to No. 100 in singles after a solid week of action where he improved his dual-match record to 12-5. Sophomore Anthony Rossi fell several spots to No. 104, but is still 12-3 this season in dual matches, including a 3-0 mark in SEC play. In doubles, Gonzalez and freshman Tom Jomby fell 10 spots in the rankings to No. 51, while senior Brad Cox and Quigley fell to No. 64.
The Gators boast three ranked singles players and four ranked doubles teams. Alexandre Lacroix leads the UF rankings with a No. 10 ranking in singles, while Sekou Bangoura Jr. is ranked 43rd. Nassim Slilam is the final Gator ranked, coming in at No. 84. In doubles, the Gators are led by top-20 doubles team of Slilam and Lacroix, while Lacroix and Bangoura are ranked 53rd. South Carolina does not have a ranked singles player or doubles team.
Last year, Kentucky went 1-1 against Florida and South Carolina, falling to the Gators in Lexington 4-3 while defeating South Carolina 4-3 at the Boone Tennis Complex.
Live scores from both matches will be available at UKathletics.com. For more information on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, visit UKathletics.com or follow “University of Kentucky men’s tennis team” on Facebook.
