Kentucky Takes on SEC Tournament in Baton Rouge
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky women’s tennis team kicks off the postseason this week, traveling to Baton Rouge, La., for the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The Wildcats are the No. 9 seed in the tournament, earning a bye for the first round and will play their first match on Thursday afternoon, taking on host team and No. 8 seed LSU at 3 p.m. ET. The winner of the match will advance to play No. 1 Florida on Friday at 3 p.m.
Kentucky ended the regular season with a 17-8 record, going 6-7 in SEC play and matching last year’s record for the best winning percentage within the league since the 2008 campaign. Headlining the Wildcat lineup is the duo of Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi, who are ranked as the top-ranked doubles team in the country. Sutjiadi made a huge jump in the singles rankings in the latest ITA release, going from No. 53 to No. 35 in the nation after winning four straight in the No. 2 spot. The junior sports a 15-5 record this season, including 8-4 in SEC play. Freshman Justina Mikulskyte also made her way into the ITA rankings this season, sitting at No. 78 after her impressive play at the No. 1 spot.
?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 44 sets. Adachi and Sutjiadi have posted a 15-2 record (11-0 SEC), while Morgan Chumney and Paražinskaite have a 9-2 (3-1 SEC) record and Nadia Ravita and Mikulskyte hold a 15-1 (8-1) mark.
Thursday will mark the 36th meeting between the Wildcats and the Tigers, who are currently ranked No. 20 in the nation. Headlining the LSU lineup is Joana Vale Costa, ranked No. 22 behind a 15-10 record (5-8 SEC) in the No. 1 spot. Jessica Golovin sits at No. 59 in the nation, going 7-14 overall and 4-8 in the league. LSU holds the slight advantage in the all-time series, 18-17, after winning the regular-season matchup on March 17. Kentucky’s doubles were once again the stronghold in securing the opening point, and the Wildcats saw wins from Sutjiadi and Ravita, but the Tigers came away with a 4-3 win after securing wins in four of the six singles matchups. The dual came down to the very last match, with Paražinskaite falling in a three-set tussle, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 to Skylar Kuykendall in No. 4 singles.
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.
