Wildcats Set to Host Vols on Saturday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 23 Kentucky women’s tennis will look to get back into the win column tomorrow afternoon, hosting No. 58 Tennessee at Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center on Saturday at noon.
The Wildcats have completed the most grueling run in their Southeastern Conference slate, taking on six of the other seven teams that rank in the top 25 of the latest Oracle/ITA national rankings, including four in the top 10. Throughout that run, UK compiled a 1-5 record with a dominant 6-1 win over then-No. 14 Texas A&M and two down-to-the-wire 4-3 setbacks to then-No. 12 South Carolina and then-No. 18 LSU.
Overall, Kentucky is 12-6 on the year with its only six 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. 3 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. 49 behind an 11-3 record this season, including 4-2 in SEC play. The junior had an impressive outing yesterday, rallying back from a opening-set defeat from No. 56 Kennedy Shaffer of Georgia to push the tiebreak in the second set with a 7-6(5) win. She capped off her play with a 6-2 win over the Bulldog for UK’s lone singles point in the 4-2 setback to the No. 3 Bulldogs. Freshman Justina Mikulskyte also made her way into the ITA rankings this week after her impressive play at the No. 1 spot and picking up an 11-5 record and 2-4 mark in the SEC. The rookie sits at No. 76 in the nation, and recently had a knock-down-drag-out contest with No. 7 Ellen Perez of UGA, falling in matching 6-4 sets to the highest ranked opponent that she has faced this season.??
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. 46 Dartmouth and No. 9 Michigan. Overall, all three primary doubles pairings have lost a combined five out of 30 sets. Adachi and Sutjiadi have posted a 9-2 record (4-0 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. Chumney and Paražinskaite have also picked up a national ranking in the latest release, sitting at No. 51 in the country.
Tennessee is the first opponent outside the top 25 that Kentucky will face since opening up the SEC schedule, sitting at No. 58 in the nation. The Vols have posted an 8-9 record this year, and have also gone 1-5 in league play with the lone win coming by way of a 4-2 victory over No. 48 Alabama. The Vols have not had as daunting a schedule as the Wildcats in their first six dual matches, squaring off with three teams ranked in the top 25 of the national rankings. Most recently, Tennessee was blanked by both No. 5 Vanderbilt, 7-0, and Georgia, 4-0. The Vols have one ranked singles player in No. 42 Sadie Hammond, who has posted a 8-6 record at the No. 1 spot, including a 2-3 mark in SEC play with wins over No. 31 Arianne Hartono of Ole Miss and No. 41 Andie Daniell of Alabama. She also makes up a half of the Vols’ ranked doubles team along with Eve Repic, with the duo ranked No. 75 in the nation behind a 6-4 (1-1) record as Tennessee’s top pairing.
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.
