The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Kentucky
Women's Tennis Falls Short Of Upset Against Kentucky
3/8/2002 | Women's Tennis
March 8, 2002
OXFORD, Miss. - The 40th-ranked Ole Miss women's tennis team smelled an upset of No. 11 Kentucky Friday afternoon at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center, but the Wildcat's Jill Buckley defeated Lady Rebel Florencia Basile in a third-set tiebreaker at No. 5 singles to clinch a 4-3 victory.
For the 12th time in 13 matches, Kentucky (10-3, 1-2) won the doubles point sweeping all three matches. Two of the Wildcat's teams are nationally-ranked with their top tandem currently No. 4 in the nation.
Ole Miss (6-4, 0-3) would battle back to take a 2-1 lead with stellar play at the top two positions. Senior Alesya Ignatieva, who earned her first national ranking (No. 69) this week, cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over 41st-ranked Sarah Witten at No. 2 singles. With the win, Ignatieva improved to 7-2 at No. 2 singles.
Junior Mira Radu, ranked No. 13 in singles, finished off 26th-ranked Carolina Mayorga 6-2, 6-2 at the top spot to make it 2-1 Ole Miss. She has now won 11 of her last 14 matches and is 8-2 at No. 1 singles. All eight of her wins have come in straight sets.
Kentucky tied it up when Lauren Rookledge beat Karem Harboe 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3 singles. The remaining three matches were locked in tight battles. At No. 4 singles, Sabrina Peppl won her first set against Amy Trefethen 6-1, but the Wildcat rallied to take the second set 6-4. Peppl had three match points in the third at 5-4, but Trefethen broke back. The two would eventually go to a tiebreaker, before Peppl won 7-6(5) to give the Lady Rebels a 3-2 lead with courts five and six in the third sets.
On court six, Audra Adams had a one set lead and was serving for the match in the second, but Kentucky's Leigh Bradwell would come back to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 evening the overall score at 3-3.
On court five, Basile rallied from losing the first set against Buckley 6-2, to win he second 6-3. The two would also go to a tiebreaker in the third set, but Buckley stepped it up and won 7-6(2) to clinch the victory for the Wildcats.
It doesn't get any easier for the Lady Rebels, who face No. 2 Vanderbilt on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. The Commodores downed Mississippi State 5-0 Friday in Starkville.
#11 Kentucky 4
#40 Ole Miss 3
SINGLES
#1 Mira Radu (OM) def. Carolina Mayorga (UK) 6-2, 6-2
#2 Alesya Ignatieva (OM) def. Sarah Witten (UK) 6-2, 6-1
#3 Lauren Rookledge (UK) def. Karem Harboe (OM) 6-2, 6-2
#4 Sabrina Peppl (OM) def. Amy Trefethen (UK) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(5)
#5 Jill Buckley (UK) def. Florencia Basile (OM) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(2)
#6 Leigh Bradwell (UK) def. Audra Adams (OM) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
DOUBLES
#1 Mayorga-Witten (UK) def. Ignatieva-Adams (OM) 8-5
#2 Rookledge-Bradwell (UK) def. Harboe-Basile (OM) 8-4
#3 Trefethen-Buckley (UK) def. Radu-Gould (OM) 8-2
