Wildcats to Host ITA Kick-Off Weekend

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 21 Kentucky women’s tennis team will play host to the ITA Kick-Off Weekend inside the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex this weekend. UK is one of 15 host sites for the weekend’s events.
 
The Wildcats, the No. 1 seed in the regional, will face No. 4 seed Northwestern on Friday at 10 a.m. ET, followed by No. 16 UCLA vs. NC State at 2 p.m.
 
The two winning teams will compete for the championship at 1 p.m. on Saturday, with a spot in next month’s ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championships on the line. A consolation match featuring the additional two teams will be played at 10 a.m. Saturday.
 
Host sites for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend were determined using the final 2016-17 Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings. A draft was held to fill the No.’s 2-4 seeds at all locations, again using the final national team rankings as a guide to determine draft order. Kentucky ended last season ranked No. 18 in the final Oracle/ITA Rankings.
 
Kentucky began its season with a 2-0 record, downing Miami (Oh.) and Northern Kentucky in its season-opening double header on Wednesday. Both victories were shutouts, defeating Miami, 7-0, and NKU, 4-0.
 
Northwestern is 2-0 after defeating Ball State and St. Louis on Jan. 20. NU dropped one match against Ball State to win, 6-1, but downed the Billikens, 7-0. Northwestern’s lineup features two top-10 doubles teams as Erin Larner/Maddie Lipp form the No. 4 tandem, and Alex Chatt/Lee Or make up the eighth-ranked duo. Or is also ranked No. 60 in singles.
 
UCLA started their season with a 4-2 victory over UC Santa Barbara. The Bruins dropped the double point in the match, with losses on courts one and three.
 
Friday’s match will be the first of the season for NC State.
 
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s tennis program, follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at Facebook.com/UKWomensTennis and on the web at UKathletics.com.