After three-and-a-half hours of drama-packed tennis, the UK’s No. 15 ranked women’s team gutted out a 4-3 victory over No. 37 ranked Alabama to begin conference play. Neither team was ahead by more than one point throughout the evening in what was a back-and-forth affair the entire way.

“It’s huge. I mean, any win in the SEC is huge,” said Emily Fanning, one of two seniors on the team. “Every match is really tough.”

The victory moved the Cats’ winning streak up to six, improving their record to 9-2 in the process. The defeat marked the third in a row for the Crimson Tide, who started off the season 12-1.

Alabama captured the first doubles point, winning two sets by a score of 6-3. Alba Cortina-Pou and Ann Selim’s second set win against the No. 117 singles player, Justina Mikulskyte, and Diana Tkachenko was immediately followed by a Smith Hinton and Jacqueline Pelletier defeat of Lesedi Jacobs and Brianna Tulloch in the third.

Kentucky’s No. 42 nationally ranked duo – Mami Adachi and Fanning – cruised to a 6-0 finish over Andie Daniell and Kylie Moulin to start the action.

Tkachenko rebounded nicely after the doubles loss, making quick work of Moulin 6-1, 6-2 to get the first point of the evening for the Cats and knot up the score. Adachi then picked up right where she left off in the doubles match, dispatching of Pelletier 6-2, 6-1. This put the Cats up 2-1.

Daniell, the top ranked player for Alabama at No. 118, beat Mikulskyte, the player one spot in front of her in the national rankings, by a 7-6, 6-2 score to give the Crimson Tide their second point and retie the game 2-2.

Fanning’s singles match continued the drama for the night. After taking the first set against her opponent Hinton 6-3, she found herself trailing in the second. But she answered the call, storming back to claim the set 7-5 and giving Kentucky a 3-2 advantage.

“I got down 3-0, but it was still pretty close, so I still felt like I was in it. There was just a couple of points that didn’t go my way, so I just kept trying to do what worked, and managed to get the second set,” she said after the match.

Cortina-Pou brought the score dead even for a third time, winning over Brianna Tulloch 6-3, 6-2. This brought the outcome down to Selim and Jacobs, both looking to lock up a victory for their school.

Jacobs raced out for a 6-3 decision in set one and a 5-1 lead in the second. Despite the seemingly insurmountable deficit, Selim wouldn’t go away, winning five straight games to give herself a 6-5 lead. With both teams standing courtside after forcing a deciding game for the set, Jacobs stood tall and clinched the win.

“I get more nervous watching than playing, so I was very nervous, but I completely believed that she would pull through,” Fanning said. “It’s always good to get a home win, and we’re very confident heading into Sunday.”

The game on Sunday is a home date against No. 16 Auburn, with a noon start time. The No. 15 Wildcats will be looking to make it eight straight victories since a loss at then-No. 22 Ohio State over a month ago. Alabama is now 0-4 on the year against ranked teams, while Kentucky is 3-1.