UK Women's Tennis Makes 22nd NCAA Appearance Friday

May 7, 2015

ANN AROBOR, Mich. — The No. 25 Kentucky women’s tennis team makes its second consecutive NCAA Championships appearance Friday in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Wildcats open NCAA play in the first round vs. No. 37 DePaul on May 8 at 10 a.m. ET.

In a stacked NCAA Regional field that features three conference champions, UK qualified for its 22nd NCAA Championships in program history. Kentucky earned back-to-back NCAA bids for the first time since 2008-09, the last time UK made the postseason before it returned last season.

The Wildcats (15-12), seeded second in the Ann Arbor Regional, open NCAA action in the first round vs. third-seeded DePaul (21-4) at Michigan’s Varsity Tennis Center. The second contest of the first round features No. 11 Michigan (24-3) and Miami [Ohio] (19-6). Michigan is seeded 11th overall in the 64-team tournament. The two first round winners square off in the second round on May 9 at 1 p.m., with the winner advancing to the 16-team NCAA Championships, May 15-19 in Waco, Texas.

Live results and complete tournament information can be found on Championship Central on MGoBlue.com. Additional updates and notes from Ann Arbor, Mich., will be available on Twitter at @UKWomensTennis.

Kentucky returned to the NCAA Championships last season after a four year absence. The Wildcats, ranked No. 32, opened with a 4-2 win over No. 38 Columbia before a 4-1 loss at No. 4 Virginia in the second round.

UK’S NCAA HISTORY

The Wildcats are making their sixth NCAA appearance under 10th-year head coach Carlos Drada. UK is 6-5 under Drada, highlighted by a trip to the Round of 16 in 2006. Kentucky has never failed to advance past the first round in Drada’s six NCAA Tournaments.

All-time, UK owns an 18-20 NCAA mark. The Wildcats have advanced to the quarterfinals twice, in 1988 and in 2005. Kentucky’s win in the first round in 2014 marked the 10th consecutive time UK won its opening-round contest, dating back to 2001.

SCOUTING THE REGIONAL FIELD

DePaul won its second consecutive BIG EAST Tournament title in 2015 and has won eight consecutive matches. The Blue Demons are 13-1 since Feb. 28 and 4-3 vs. ranked opponents this season.

Michigan won the Big Ten Tournament and regular season titles and went 11-0 in conference play. The Wolverines have won a school-record 18 consecutive matches.

Miami (Ohio) won its third consecutive Mid-American Conference Tournament championship and went a perfect 8-0 in MAC play. The RedHawks posted their 21st regular-season MAC crown and registered their 18th undefeated league slate. Miami has won 11 matches in a row.

IN THE RANKINGS

Along with being ranked No. 25 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, UK is represented three times in the individual rankings. Junior Nadia Ravita is No. 69 in the singles rankings, while sophomore Aldila Sutjiadi is 117th. In doubles competition, UK’s top pair of Sutjiadi and freshman Mami Adachi is No. 25.

ADACHI, SUTJIADI EARN NCAA DOUBLES AT-LARGE BID

Kentucky’s top doubles pair of Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi earned an at-large bid to compete at the NCAA Championships. It marks the third consecutive season UK has qualified at least one individual for the NCAA Championships.

The duo, ranked No. 25 in the country, own a 6-5 mark and a 6-3 record in conference play in 2015.

The singles and doubles competition will be held May 20-25 in Waco, Texas, following the conclusion of the team championship, which runs from May 15-19.

TRIMBLE EARNS SEC COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

Kentucky senior Grace Trimble has been selected as the 2014-15 Brad Davis Community Service Award winner by the Southeastern Conference, adding to an impressive list of awards and accomplishments. A senior from Winchester, Ky., Trimble will receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship from the SEC in recognition of her community service work. In her career, she has dedicated over a thousand hours to community service work.

The Community Service Award scholarship is the latest in a long list of accolades for Trimble in her career. She has been named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll six times and the SEC Academic Honor Roll in every season. She was inducted into UK’s prestigious Frank G. Ham Society of Character and was a Rhodes Scholarship finalist in 2013-14.

In the community, Trimble is the president and founder of Smart Shots, a community service program that provides athletic opportunities to underprivileged children. Partnering with Urban Impact, Trimble founded the program five years ago focusing on tennis, and has since expanded to all sports for local kids. Trimble’s work has taken her as far as Ethiopia, where in 2012 she joined seven fellow UK student-athletes on a service trip to Ethiopia. The group interacted with the community members, delivered food and organized sport camps for local children.

A complete release, with more information about the Brad Davis Community Service Award and Trimble’s accolades, can be found here.

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 at @UKWomensTennis.

Click image for UK’s Match Notes (PDF)