No. 12 Gamecocks Outlast No. 13 Kentucky on Senior Day, 4-3

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 13 Kentucky women’s tennis team fell just short of a comeback, dropping its regular season finale to 12th-ranked South Carolina, 4-3. The loss moves the Wildcats to 15-7 overall and 7-6 in Southeastern Conference play, while the Gamecocks gain sole possession of fourth place in the league with a 17-7 (8-5 SEC) record.

Prior to the match, Kentucky honored its two seniors, Aldila Sutjiadi and Morgan Chumney.

Kentucky took the first point in the match in commanding fashion, picking up all three victories to clinch the early lead. The Wildcats’ three team of Justina Mikulskyte and Emily Fanning first earned a 6-4 win to get the Cats half of the way there. Second-ranked Mami Adachi and Sutjiadi delivered with a 6-3 triumph. Although the point was already clinched, Chumney and Akvile Paražinskaite tied a bow on doubles with a 6-4 win on court two.

In singles, the Wildcats struggled to get things going, dropping four of their first sets to the Gamecocks. South Carolina converted on three of those, picking up three consecutive wins to take a 3-1 lead in the match.

In her Senior Day singles performance, 19th-ranked Sutjiadi put the Wildcats back in the mix with a gritty 6-3, 6-4 victory over South Carolina’s No. 53 Mia Horvit.

The remaining two courts would need third sets to settle the scores. After dropping her first set, Fanning battled her way to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in No. 4 singles to knot the score at three.

Kentucky’s fate was left in the hands of Mikulskyte, who was outlasted by South Carolina’s Silvia Chinellato, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Kentucky will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, next week for the 2017 SEC Tournament. Hosted by Vanderbilt, the tournament will be held April 19-23. The full bracket will be finalized Sunday evening with the conclusion of all regular season matches.

1 – #19 Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. #53 Mia Horvit (SC), 6-3, 6-4

2 –#43 Ingrid Martins (SC) def. Akvile Paražinskaite (UK), 6-3, 6-3

3 – Paige Cline (SC) def. Mami Adachi (UK), 6-4, 6-4

4 – Emily Fanning (UK) def. Hadley Berg (SC), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

5 – Silvia Chinellato (SC) def. Justina Mikulskyte (UK), 5-7, 6-4, 6-2

6 – Brigit Folland (SC) def. Morgan Chumney (UK), 6-4, 6-4

1 – #2 Mami Adachi/Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. #57 Caroline Dailey/Hadley Berg (SC), 6-3

2 – #84 Morgan Chumney/Akvile Paražinskaite (UK) def. Paige Cline/Brigit Folland (SC), 6-4

3 – Emily Fanning/Justina Mikulskyte (UK) def. Ingrid Martins/Rachel Rohrabacher (SC), 6-4

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