Kentucky women’s tennis fell to No. 38 Ole Miss 4-0 on senior day, yet it persisted to be a moment to remember for the Wildcats as they recognized their two seniors, Zoe Hammond and Ellie Meyers.
Ole Miss captured the doubles point, then followed that up by sweeping singles play.
Hammond wrapped up a successful career at Kentucky. She played most of this season at the top of the singles lineup for the Wildcats.
Hammond reached as high as No. 72 nationally in singles this year, improving on every year that she was with Kentucky.
Hammond came to the Wildcats as a top recruit from Edmond, Oklahoma. She was not only a leader on the court, but she demonstrated what it meant to be a Wildcat in the classroom as well. Hammond won SEC Scholar of the Year in 2025 and 2026.
“She really exemplifies everything we want to see from our athletes both on the tennis court and off of it,” assistant coach Diego Garavito said. “She shows her teammates what is needed to be great at this level. She lets them know the energy and focus that is needed to get where you want to go. She takes her academics just as seriously as well. She has won back to back SEC scholar of the year awards and demonstrates what is expected in the classroom just as much as on the court”.
Myers made her mark from day one for the Wildcats, playing both singles and doubles while at Kentucky. Her partner in doubles was Hammond, where they saw loads of success over the years. One of her strongest moments as a Wildcat was making it to the Round of 16 in the ITA championship.
“She has just matured so much since she arrived on campus when she got here as a freshman,” Garavito said. “She took the coaching on the chin and would be ready to work and get better each day, and the work translated to improving each year. She would do anything to help the team.”
In the senior day matchup, the Wildcats continued to struggle to get the doubles point, failing to win a single doubles match – something that has been a point of emphasis for the Cats all season. No. 13 Andrea Nova and Emily Welker defeated No. 57 Reese Sager and Asuncion Jadue 6-1. Riley Crowder and Alice Soulie secured the doubles point for Ole Miss, winning their match 6-1.
Ole Miss picked up where they left off in singles as well, starting with the only ranked matchup between No. 18 Welker and No. 73 Hammond. Hammond gave it her all in her final home match, but just didn’t have it, falling to Welker in straight sets 6-2 and 6-1.
Nova handled Elena Molla fairly easily, taking her down 6-0 and 6-3 to give the Rebels a 3-0 lead in the match. Nova had it from the moment the match started, where her energy felt like she relished the opportunity to play in this environment on the road.
Ole Miss clinched the match after Beatrice Stagno outlasted Myers in straight sets to give the rebels the win.
The Wildcats will now turn their attention to postseason play, where they will look to capitalize on opportunities in the SEC Championship.
