Seventh-Seeded UK Draws Rematch with 10th-Seeded Vandy
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After finishing in a four-way tie for sixth place in the Southeastern Conference regular season standings, No. 33 Kentucky will compete as the seventh seed in the 2019 SEC Men’s Tennis Tournament versus No. 36 Vanderbilt, the league’s 10th-seeded team, on Thursday at noon ET.
At 5-7 (15-13 overall), the Wildcats were joined by South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Alabama at the conclusion of a full 12-match slate. As Kentucky and South Carolina each went 2-1 in head-to-head competition against the other three teams, the Gamecocks’ 7-0 defeat of the Cats on March 21 designated South Carolina the No. 6 seed and Kentucky the No. 7 seed in postseason play. Ole Miss will compete as the No. 8 seed, while the Crimson Tide land at No. 9.
Just one match back, Vanderbilt’s 4-8 (14-10 overall) mark earned sole possession of 10th place.
The Cats and Commodores first met on March 29 in Nashville, Tennessee. Both teams were coming off consecutive losses to South Carolina and Florida, desperately seeking a victory. UK senior co-caption Enzo Wallart, ranked No. 87 in Tuesday’s latest ITA National Singles Rankings, clinched the regular-season matchup with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over George Harwell on court two to give Kentucky a 4-3 win.
Fellow senior Ryo Matsumura enters Thursday alongside Wallart among the nation’s top 125 singles players, checking in at No. 39. Both players picked up top-30 singles wins over then-No. 17 Georgia in the Wildcats’ 5-2 victory last week.
The winner of Thursday’s contest will advance to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament for a battle with No. 6 Mississippi State (19-3, 11-1 SEC), the league’s second-seeded unit, on Friday at noon. Both Kentucky and Vanderbilt were defeated 7-0 by the Bulldogs in regular-season road matches.
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