Kentucky women’s tennis has finished its non conference schedule and will now look to make a SEC push under new head coach Shelley Jaudon with the start of league play.
The Wildcats sat at the bottom of the barrel in SEC rankings last season, with a 4-9 record that ended in a six-match losing streak before the conference tournament.
Despite the cold streak, Kentucky managed to eliminate two ranked opponents in the first rounds of the SEC Tournament until ultimately meeting its demise against the rival Tennessee Volunteers.
Since the beginning of the SEC tournament in the 2000 season for women’s tennis, the Wildcats have never been able to call themselves tournament champions.
This year, Senior Elizabeth Stevens will be leading the Wildcats against a stacked conference.
“We’re working hard together,” said Stevens. “We’re just ready to show them what we’re capable of.”
The SEC features seven teams in the Top 25 – No. 10 Georgia, No. 11 Auburn, No. 15 Florida, No. 17 Tennessee, No. 18 South Carolina, No. 19 Texas A&M and No. 23 Vanderbilt, while Kentucky currently sits at No. 56.
The Cats will travel to Auburn, Alabama, to begin SEC play on Friday, March 1, against Auburn. The Tigers are led by No. 16 singles player Carolyn Ansari.
The team will stay in Alabama for the weekend to take on the Crimson Tide on Sunday, March 3, who are 9-1 on the season.
The Wildcats, 0-3 on the road, start conference play with two difficult away matchups.
Kentucky will return home for three straight matches, starting with No. 23 Vanderbilt. The Commodores are 0-2 on the road and have played five matches thus far.
A Mississippi-filled weekend follows, as Kentucky will host Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Both teams do not feature any singles or doubles players in the Top 50 and hold losing records on the road.
After a long home stint, the Wildcats will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on the LSU Tigers. The Tigers will have played four previous away games before this matchup.
Kentucky will then travel to College Station, Texas, to face off against No.19 Texas A&M. The Aggies have the No.1 Mary Stoiana ITA singles player who is 15-2 on the season.
The Cats will then host four back-to-back home games.
In the first match of the stretch, Kentucky will play Mizzou. Missouri has lost both of its games the road leading up to conference play..
Shortly after that match, Kentucky faces up against Arkansas, who holds one game over the Cats with a 7-3 record.
The team has been undefeated at home this year, boasting a perfect 3-0 record in their home matches.
In the following matchup, the Wildcats will compete against ranked No. 10 South Carolina. Despite the loss in the regular season, Kentucky put up a strong fight against the top-ranked team.
The final home game for the Cats will feature No.15 Florida. The Gators have been stuck with a losing streak of four to start the season.
Finally, to wrap up league play, the Cats will play its last two games on the road, traveling to Knoxville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia, in the middle of April.
The Vols are currently ranked No.17 which will be a crucial SEC matchup for the Cats as they wrap up the regular season.
The SEC tournament will kick off on April 14, at the Magill Tennis Complex in Athens.
