Kentucky Earns First SEC Win in Dominating Fashion Over Aggies
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After dropping two straight down-to-the-wire matches in its previous Southeastern Conference matches, Kentucky women’s tennis earned its first conference win over No. 14 Texas A&M, clinching the match at 4-0 before playing out to a final 6-1 victory. The Wildcats move to 12-5 on the season and 1-4 in SEC play, while the Aggies drop to 11-6 (3-3 SEC).
The Wildcats picked up the doubles point to kick off the match for the 15th straight match, with both winning sets going to extra games in a tight battle with the Aggies. The No. 5 team in the nation of Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi got the first win on Court 1 with a 7-6 victory over No. 41 Rachel Pierson and Eva Paalma before Nadia Ravita and Justina Mikulskyte clinched the opening point with a 7-5 win over Ines Deheza and Domenica Gonzales in No. 3 doubles.
Kentucky then rattled off three straight wins on the top three singles courts to clinch the first SEC match of the season. Mikulskyte was the first to strike, earning her second career SEC win with a straight-set victory over No. 40 Saska Gavriloska on Court 1, 6-2, 6-3. Ravita also had a two-set winner in No. 2 singles, taking down Pierson 6-4 in the first before securing her match with a 6-3 second set. Sutjiadi sealed the win for UK in No. 2 singles with a three-set win over Rutuja Bhosale, winning 6-1 in the first set before dropping a 6-3 decision in the second. She went on to go back and forth with Bhosale in the deciding set, finally posting a 6-4 win to secure both her own win along with the team’s victory.
In No. 4 singles, Akvile Paražinskaite went extra sets with Gonzalez, pushing extra games in the first set for a 7-5 victory before dropping the second set, 6-1. The freshman came up big mentally in the deciding set, securing a 7-6 win to advance UK’s score to 5-0.
The Wildcats split the final two matches of the day, with Adachi falling to Deheza on Court 5 in 6-1, 6-2 sets, while Kirsten Lewis and Anna Mamalat each recorded a 6-3 set victory in No. 6 singles before Lewis secured her victory with a 1-0(5) decision in the third set.
Kentucky will remain at home next weekend, hosting No. 4 Georgia and No. 54 Tennessee. The Wildcats will welcome the Bulldogs to Boone Tennis Center on Thursday,m March 24 at 6 p.m. ET, followed by a matchup with the Vols on Saturday, March 26 at noon.
#26 Kentucky 6, #14 Texas A&M 1
Singles (Order of finish: 1, 3, 2*, 4, 5, 6)
1. Justina Milkuskyte (UK) def. No. 40 Saska Gavrilovska (TAMU), 6-2, 6-3
2. No. 42 Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. Rutuja Bhosale (TAMU), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
3. Nadia Ravita (UK) def. Rachel Pierson (TAMU), 6-4, 6-3
4. Akvile Paražinskaite (UK) def. Domenica Gonzalez (TAMU), 7-5, 6-1, 7-6
5. Ines Deheza (TAMU) def. Mami Adachi (UK), 6-1, 6-2
6. Kirsten Lewis (UK) def. Anna Mamalat, 6-3, 3-6, 1-0(5)
Doubles (Order of finish: 1, 3*)
1. No. 5 Mami Adachi/Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. No. 41 Rachel Pierson/Eva Paalma (TAMU), 7-6
2. Akvile Paražinskaite/Morgan Chumney (UK) vs. No. 56 Rutuja Bhosale/Anna Mamalat (TAMU), 5-5, abandoned
3. Nadia Ravita/Justina Milkuskyte (UK) def. Ines Deheza/Domenica Gonzalez (TAMU), 7-5
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.
