March 20, 2014

LEXINGTON, Ky. – After a 5-0 start to Southeastern Conference play, the No. 14 University of Kentucky men’s tennis team will face the only other 5-0 team in SEC play on Friday in a battle with No. 10 Georgia for the SEC lead outright at 4:30 p.m. ET at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.

The Wildcats have started out the conference season strong, winning its first five conference matches, including wins over No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 21 Mississippi State, No. 53 Ole Miss, Arkansas and LSU. The Wildcats have knocked off two top-10 teams this season, and will look to make it three teams on Friday afternoon.

The Bulldogs enter Friday’s match at 10-5 overall, and 5-0 in SEC action. UGA bolted its way back into the top 10 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s rankings on Tuesday afternoon after a weekend sweep of South Carolina and Florida last weekend. Last week, the Bulldogs also knocked off then-No. 1 Ohio State, 4-3, in a marathon match in Athens. The Bulldogs also hoist the SEC’s Player of the Week, in Austin Smith.

Kentucky has two ranked players in singles, with the top-ranked player being No. 10 Tom Jomby. The Nantes, France, native is 14-2 this season, and 4-1 in the SEC. Jomby clinched the 4-3 win over Georgia in a tiebreak in Athens back in 2012, when the Wildcats last visited UGA in the regular season.

Also ranked for Kentucky in singles is No. 67 Beck Pennington, who will play the No. 3 singles position. The Bowling Green, Ky., native is a perfect 5-0 in SEC play this season and as a sophomore, is playing the best tennis of his career. Pennington will team with No. 2 singles player and senior Alejandro Gomez at No. 2 doubles for the Wildcats.

In addition to Jomby and sophomore Kevin Lai being No. 26 in the ITA doubles rankings, senior Ryuji Hirooka and freshman Nils Ellefsen will team to form the No. 3 doubles court for the Wildcats, and will enter the match ranked No. 76 in this week’s rankings.

Action will start at 4:30 p.m. ET from, the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., on Friday. This is the only meeting between Georgia and UK in the regular season. 

For continuing coverage of UK men’s tennis, log on to UKathletics.com.