Wildcats Host Aggies on Saturday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky women’s tennis is slated to continue its run in the nation’s toughest conference, welcoming the No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies to Lexington on Saturday. The Aggies are the fifth consecutive team that the Wildcats will have faced that rank in the top-20 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s latest rankings, and the two teams are slated to square off at 11 a.m. ET at Boone Tennis Center.
Overall, Kentucky is 11-5 on the year with its only five losses coming against a top-20 opponent. Headlining the Wildcat lineup is the duo of Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi, who are ranked as the No. 5 doubles team in the country after bursting onto the national scene with a preseason top-10 ranking for the first time in their careers. Sutjiadi is also ranked in singles, sitting at No. 42 after jumping up more than 50 spots from the latest singles rankings. The junior has posted a 7-3 record this season, including a 2-2 record in SEC play after an upset of No. 23 Astra Sharma of Vanderbilt and downing LSU’s No. 57 Golovin, both in straight sets.??Kentucky’s doubles lineup has been instrumental in getting the matches going, as the Wildcats have only dropped two doubles points, both of which were in the opening matches of the season against No. 44 Dartmouth and No. 6 Michigan. In a recent notable performance against No. 13 Florida, UK deprived the Gators of the opening point for just the second time this season. Overall, all three primary doubles pairings have lost a combined five out of 26 sets. Adachi and Sutjiadi have posted a 7-2 record (3-0 SEC), while Morgan Chumney and Akvile Paražinskaite have a 9-2 (3-1 SEC) record and Nadia Ravita and Justina Mikulskyte hold a 9-1 (2-1) mark.
The Aggies hold an 11-5 record coming into the match, including 3-2 in SEC play. Texas A&M most recently dropped a 6-1 decision to the reigning national champion, No. 7 Vanderbilt. The Aggies were able to secure only the doubles point, winning in No. 2 and 3 doubles. A&M has one ranked singles player in No. 40 Gavriloska, who holds a 5-2 record at the No. 1 spot, including 3-2 against SEC opponents. In doubles, the Aggies have two ranked pairs in No. 41 Eva Paalma/Rachel Pierson and No. 56 Rutuja Bhosale/Anna Mamalat. Paalma and Pierson have posted a 5-7 record (2-3 SEC), most recently falling to Vandy’s Courtney Colton/Astra Sharma, 7-6. Rutuja and Mamalat also saw a 7-6 decision against Vanderbilt, overcoming Francis Altick and Sydney Campbell in one half of the doubles point victory.
UK athletics marketing, in conjunction with the men’s and women’s tennis programs, is excited to announce the launch of The Wildcat Advantage, Kentucky’s new tennis fan club. Members can accumulate points to trade in and receive prizes by signing in at matches they attend for both the men’s and women’s teams. Members will also be signed up for an email group to receive reminders of upcoming tennis matches. Members of The Wildcat Advantage can earn a point by signing in at each tennis match and can earn additional points for signing friends up for the club. Prizes include The Wildcat Advantage t-shirts, Papa John’s pizza coupons, and exclusive tennis experiences throughout the season.
Live stats for Sunday’s match will be available 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 on Twitter at @UKWomensTennis and on Facebook.
