Wildcats Head West to Take on Missouri
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 21 Kentucky women’s tennis will look to sweep the weekend on the road, traveling to Columbia, Mo., for a Sunday afternoon dual match against No. 60 Missouri. First serve against the Southeastern Conference opponent is slated for 1 p.m. ET.
UK is coming off a road win over No. 27 Arkansas, clinching the match at 4-1 before retiring two singles matches to come away with a 4-3 victory over the Razorbacks.
Overall, Kentucky is 15-7 on the year (4-7 SEC). Headlining the Wildcat lineup is the duo of Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi, who are ranked as the No. 2 doubles team in the country. Sutjiadi is also ranked in singles, sitting at No. 53 behind a 12-5 record this season, including 5-4 in SEC play. Freshman Justina Mikulskyte also made her way into the ITA rankings at No.56 after her impressive play at the No. 1 spot and picking up a 12-8 record and 3-7 mark in the SEC.
?Kentucky’s doubles lineup has been instrumental in getting the matches going, as the Wildcats have only dropped three doubles points. Overall, all three primary doubles pairings have lost a combined five out of 38 sets. Adachi and Sutjiadi have posted a 12-2 record (7-0 SEC), while Morgan Chumney and Paražinskaite have a 9-2 (3-1 SEC) record and Nadia Ravita and Mikulskyte hold a 12-1 (5-1) mark. All three teams are nationally ranked as of the latest release, with Chumney and Paražinskaite sitting at No. 51 while Ravita and Mikulskyte are ranked 82nd.
The rivalry between the Wildcats and the Tigers is a relatively fresh one, with Kentucky holding a 3-0 advantage in the series since Missouri joined the SEC in 2012. Last year, Kentucky downed the Tigers in a 6-1 decision in Lexington on March 22.
Missouri will be looking for its third SEC win, holding a 2-8 record within the conference and a 15-9 record overall. The Tigers’ two wins came against No. 56 Alabama and No. 75 Tennessee, edging out both the Crimson Tide and the Volunteers by a 4-3 margin. Mizzou is paced by No. 60 Beatriz Machado Santos, who holds a 12-6 record (3-4 SEC) in the No. 1 singles spot. Santos also plays on the Tigers’ top doubles team paired with Brianna Lashway as the two have only played together in SEC action and compiled a 2-5 record as a duo.
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.
