No. 20 UK Edged By No. 13 Vanderbilt for First SEC Loss
March 8, 2015
LEXINGTON, Ky. – In a battle between two of the remaining three unbeaten teams in Southeastern Conference action, the No. 20 Kentucky women’s tennis team was edged by No. 13 Vanderbilt, 4-2 on Sunday morning.
The Wildcats fell to 11-5 on the season and 2-1 in SEC play as their nine-match home winning streak to open the year came to an end. The Commodores improved to 8-4 and 3-0 in the league with the hard-earned victory.
“It was a hard-fought match today, Vanderbilt is a great team from top to bottom,” head coach Carlos Drada said. “They don’t give you that many free points, to beat them you have to be very disciplined and you have to stay in every match. We could have done a better job in doubles, and against Vandy and the other great teams in the SEC, you cannot give an inch. We will learn from this experience and get ready for next weekend.”
UK faced higher-ranked opponents on two of three doubles courts and five of the six singles courts. The Wildcats notched upsets at No. 2 and No. 4 singles, and sent competition to a third set on court five.
“We’re hoping to learn from the positives today, we’re doing a great job of improving now. It’s a great time for us because we’re improving, and the players are starting to see that improvement. We’re starting to hit another gear, and I know that will help us continue to get better moving forward.”
Kentucky dropped the doubles point to open the match. Kirsten Lewis and Nadia Ravita lost to No. 33 Ashleigh Antal and Astra Sharma 8-3 at No. 2 doubles, while Kelsey Dieters and Taylor Lederman fell on court three, 8-4.
The Wildcats fell behind 2-0 after No. 60 Ravita lost to No. 11 Sydney Campbell, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 singles, but then UK got on the board. Adachi secured a 6-2, 6-4 win on court four over No. 123 Frances Altick to get Kentucky within one at 2-1.
Dieters dropped a 6-3, 6-2 decision at No. 3 singles to No. 103 Courtney Colton to give Vanderbilt a 3-1 lead.
Aldila Sutjiadi got UK back within one with a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3) win at No. 2 singles. The victory over No. 98 Sharma came after Sutjiadi trailed early in the first set but rallied for the 7-5 win. After dropping the second set, Sutjiadi went back-and-forth with Sharma before prevailing for a 7-6 (3) tiebreaking victory.
With singles action on courts five and six well underway, Vanderbilt clinched the match with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 6 singles as Lederman fell to No. 63 Marie Casares. Lewis was in the third set vs. Antal, 6-4, 4-6, 1-4.
The Wildcats return to the road for the first time since Feb. 8 with matchups at Georgia on March 13 and at Tennessee on March 15. UK is back home on March 20 and 22, vs. Arkansas and Missouri, respectively.
No. 13 Vanderbilt 4, No. 20 Kentucky 2
Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex – Lexington, Ky.
March 8, 2015
Doubles (Order of finish: 2, 3*)
1 – Aldila Sutjiadi/Mami Adachi (UK) vs. #19 Colton/Campbell (VU), DNF (7-7)
2 – #33 Antal/Sharma (VU) def. Kirsten Lewis/Nadia Ravita (UK), 8-3
3 – Altick/Casares (VU) def. Kelsey Dieters/Taylor Lederman (UK), 8-4
Singles (Order of finish: 1, 4, 3, 2, 6*)
1 – #11 Sydney Campbell (VU) def. #60 Nadia Ravita (UK), 6-2, 6-1
2 – Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. #98 Astra Sharma (VU), 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3)
3 – #103 Courtney Colton (VU) def. Kelsey Dieters (UK), 6-3, 6-2
4 – Mami Adachi (UK) def. #123 Frances Altick (VU), 6-2, 6-4
5 – Kirsten Lewis (UK) vs. Ashleigh Antal (VU), DNF (6-4, 4-6, 1-4)
6 – #63 Marie Casares (VU) def. Taylor Lederman (UK), 6-4, 6-3
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s tennis team, follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.
