Mikulskyte, Paražinskaite Selected to NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships Field

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Two University of Kentucky women’s tennis players will make their individual postseason debuts at the 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Singles and Doubles Championships, as senior Justina Mikulskyte earned a post in the singles field and paired with redshirt junior Akvile Paražinskaite, the doubles team received invitation to compete in the doubles competition.
 
The NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Subcommittee selected 64 singles players and 32 doubles teams to compete. The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 20-25 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, at the conclusion of the team championships, which runs from May 16-21. The University of Central Florida and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission will host the event.
 
Senior Mikulskyte flaunts a 13-5 (.722) singles record, playing as Kentucky’s No. 1 competitor. She has defeated seven ranked opponents, missing just three ranked opponents, this season. The Lithuania native formed a 7-4 mark in the Southeastern Conference. Reaching as high as No. 15 in the ITA/Oracle National Singles Rankings in April, Mikulskyte ranks as the 21st best in the nation.
 

Mikulskyte, the lone senior, has made undeniable improvement through the 2018-19 season to become a proven team lead. Last week, the upperclassman was named to the 2019 All-SEC First Team, making her first appearance on the prestigious list and becoming just the sixth Wildcat in program history to earn the distinction.
 
Paired with Paražinskaite, the doubles team has received national recognition. Boasting a 13-5 (.722) mark in dual matches this season, the pair notched an 8-2 record in the league and have reached as high as No. 13 in the national polls. Mikulskyte and Paražinskaite are unbeaten against ranked opponents, forming an 8-0 mark to graded foes. The doubles team evidently excels under pressure, having notched four upsets to doubles teams ranked in the top 15.
 
Notable, at No. 19 LSU, the UK duo defeated the third-ranked doubles team in the nation and the reigning NCAA National Doubles Champions in Eden Richardson and Jessica Golovin, 6-2. Just nine days later, Mikulskyte and Paražinskaite rallied a 6-3 win against the best-ranked pair in the nation in Mia Horvit and Gamarra Martins at No. 6 South Carolina.
 
Former Wildcats Mami Adachi (2015-18) and Aldila Sutjiadi (2014-17) were the last to represent UK at the singles and doubles tournament in 2017. Sutjiadi lost in the first round of the singles division, while the pair reached as high as the quarterfinals in the doubles division.

 
Before the singles and doubles championships, the UK women’s tennis team will compete in the first round of the team championship on Friday at 11 a.m. ET in Ann Arbor, Michigan, against DePaul (11-11, BIG EAST 6-2).
 
For more on Kentucky women’s tennis, follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter and Instagram, Kentucky Women’s Tennis on Facebook, or on the web at UKathletics.com.