Mami Adachi named SEC Freshman of the Week

Jan. 28, 2015

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky women’s tennis player Mami Adachi has been named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for the first time in her career, the league announced Wednesday.

Adachi, a freshman from Tokyo, Japan, has wasted no time making an impact for the Wildcats in her first semester in Lexington. In UK’s upset wins over No. 21 Rice and No. 32 Arizona State, Adachi recorded two singles wins and continued her undefeated streak in doubles action with a win over Rice.

“It’s a great achievement for Mami to receive this award in our conference,” UK head coach Carlos Drada said. “These honors are difficult to earn, and it shows that our players are working hard to compete at their potential and at the highest levels of collegiate tennis.”

Adachi has won her first four doubles contests to begin her career and has won four consecutive singles matches without dropping a set.

Last weekend at the ITA Kickoff Weekend event, Adachi and Kelsey Dieters earned a 6-2 doubles victory to clinch the doubles point for the Wildcats in their first match. Adachi followed with a 6-4, 6-1 singles win to put UK ahead 3-0 in the match.

The following day, Adachi earned her first ranked singles win with a 7-6, 6-0 victory over No. 62 Ebony Panoho. The win gave the Wildcats a 2-1 lead in the match after Kentucky lost the doubles point. The win for UK over ASU sent the Wildcats to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the first time since 2005.

Kentucky returns to action on Jan. 31 when it hosts Penn State in Lexington. First serve is set for noon, ET at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.

Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the Kentucky women’s tennis team and all 22 varsity sports. For additional info, notes and behind-the-scenes updates, follow the team on Twitter at @UKWomensTennis.