Kentucky Returns Home to Host Southeast Missouri State for Sunday Doubleheader

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Following a 4-1 victory at Notre Dame on Friday, the University of Kentucky women’s tennis team returns home to host Southeast Missouri State on Sunday, Jan. 23 at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. The doubleheader between the Wildcats and the Redhawks will start at 10 a.m. ET with the second match beginning at 2 p.m.

Admission to all home tennis matches will be free for the 2022 season. Capacity at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center is limited and will be based on a first come, first serve basis.
 
Regardless of an individual’s vaccination status, all fans, guests, and staff are required to wear a mask as they enter, exit, and move around the building. If spectators are unable to wear masks, they are encouraged to not attend matches in person for the sake of their health and the health of others.
 
Free parking options include the three small E-lots adjacent to the facility 90 minutes prior to the first match. Spectators may also pay to park in the Sports Center Garage (PS No. 7) on the corner of Complex Drive and Sports Center Drive. The cost of parking is $2 per hour with a $16 maximum.

The Wildcats prevailed in their first road test of the year on Friday at Notre Dame, downing the Fighting Irish 4-1. Fiona Arrese and Florencia Urrutia teamed up for a win to extend their doubles record to 3-0 on the season while Carla Girbau and Ellie Eades secured the doubles point for Kentucky.

Arrese maintained her unblemished record in singles action, picking up the first point for UK on court four. No. 100 Carlota Molina snagged her first individual win of the season and Elizabeth Stevens clinched the match for Kentucky in her season debut in South Bend.

The team’s two freshmen in Lidia Gonzalez and Eades have shown up big in their first few outings in the blue and white. Gonzalez secured a singles point in the second match with ETSU on Jan. 14 to even the score while Eades survived a grueling battle to clinch the match point. They both picked up singles wins against Miami Ohio on Jan. 16 as well, with Gonzalez earning the clinch. 

UK posted a 16-9 overall mark with a 6-7 record in the Southeastern Conference during the 2021 campaign. Last season was one for the record books, as Arrese and Akvile Paražinskaite earned the No. 1 seed in the doubles draw for the NCAA Championships. The duo were the first Wildcats to be ranked No. 1 since 2016 and the first with Carlos Drada at the helm.

The 2021-22 season marks Drada’s 17th year as head coach and his 21st season overall in Lexington. Prior to the start of the fall season, the team welcomed Brad Merchant as the assistant coach. No stranger to UK, Merchant had served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for Kentucky men’s basketball since 2019 and was the volunteer assistant for the women’s tennis team during the 2016-17 season.

For the latest on the Kentucky women’s tennis program, follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook, and on the web at UKathletics.com.