Kentucky women’s tennis (2-0) turned in a perfect day on the court with a clean 7-0 sweep of Miami (OH) (0-3) in a dominant performance over the RedHawks.
The Wildcats came out of the gates strong with Ellie Myers and Zoe Hammond picking up a 6-1 win over Nina Chavez and Lovisa Valentinsson. Julia Zhu and Marina Fudric immediately followed them up, picking up a 6-1 win of their own against Allie Faulkner and Malu Oliveira.
“But I thought the team handled the change well,” Kentucky Head Coach Shelley Jaudon said. “It’s not always easy mid week to make a change to your preparation, but our team handled it with maturity, and obviously came out ready to play.”
With the two doubles win, Kentucky claimed the doubles point. The Wildcats had two players working for the win in Ascuncion Jadue and Reese Sager. Despite a slow start, they rallied back over Maria Komar and Evelyn Risner.
Coming off the 3-0 sweep in doubles, the Wildcats did not turn down the heat with Zhu starting right where she left off, picking up a 6-1, 6-1 win over Faulkner. Sager followed close behind, winning in straight sets 6-3, 6-0.
Kentucky clinched the win as team captain Hammond captured a 6-2, 6-0 victory.
The rest of the matches were allowed to continued, with Jadue picking up a hard-fought win over Risner. Despite being down early 5-2 in the first set, Jadue fought back, taking the set 7-5. Jadue kept the energy flowing, winning in straight sets, taking a competitive second set 6-4.
Myers was next to clinch her match, delivering a statement performance with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Chavez. Elena Molla followed close behind her, getting a decisive 6-2, 6-0 victory over Komar.
“Yeah, I think it was a great job in terms of overall flexibility, by the girls staying on their toes, ready for anything,” Kentucky Assistant Coach Stephen Ward said. “They woke up this morning, prepared for any path that may come their way. Held a little bit of mental adversity with that. I thought they came out last and strong from the first coin flip. It was great.”
With the win, Kentucky will look to carry its momentum on the road, traveling to Durham, North Carolina, to face off with the Duke Blue Devils. The match will take place on Friday, Jan. 30, inside the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center. The match is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET.
“It’s a big match coming up,” Kentucky Assistant Coach Diego Gatavito said. “Of course they’re just a very good team, but, but I think you know this match, you just show us who’s ready. Everybody is ready, so just now for us, just figuring out what we’re gonna do moving forward, but definitely just confidence and just much play is very good.”
