On Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Vanderbilt, the Kentucky men's tennis team looks to complete a perfect regular season in conference play and clinch sole possession of the SEC title. Join Evan Crane and Guy Ramsey for a live blog from the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex:
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Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes. These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, Apr. 8:
Softball: Brittany Cervantes
Senior Brittany Cervantes exploded offensively for the Wildcats during a critical SEC series this weekend. Cervantes batted .500 against South Carolina while blasting three home runs, scoring five times and driving in four runs in helping UK keep pace in the hunt for the SEC Tournament. Cervantes, UK's career home run leader, had struggled early this season with finding her offensive rhythm and had hit just two home runs in her first 36 games this season. She then became the first UK player this season to hit home runs in three consecutive games - also a career-best for UK's all-time power leader. Cervantes batted in the leadoff spot this weekend and in the rubber game with the Gamecocks on Sunday, she watched the visitor's plate two runs in the top half of the first and answered with her second leadoff homer of the series to jump-start UK's offensive effort en route to plating 10 scores for the first time this season against league competition.
Gymnastics: Caitlyn Ciokajlo
Had a strong showing for Kentucky on uneven bars, posting a career-high tying 9.875 on the event at the NCAA Regional. The high mark placed the junior in fifth place overall at the event.
Baseball: Austin Cousino
Centerfielder Austin Cousino continued to pace the top offensive unit in college baseball atop the batting order, leading UK to a series win over No. 10 Ole Miss and a midweek win over Dayton during a four-game week ... Cousino hit .412 (7-for-17) with four runs, three doubles and three RBI, adding two walks and stealing a base ... In the series opener vs. Dayton, Cousino went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs, a double, a walk and an RBI ... In the series opener vs. Ole Miss, Cousino added a double and a walk , also collecting a hit in the second game of the set ... In the series-clinching win on Sunday, Cousino went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI, including a rally-sparking leadoff single in the late innings ... On the year, Cousino leads UK in nearly every category, including average (.365), runs (35), hits (50), doubles (13) and steals (seven), adding one triple, five homers and 27 RBI ... The 2011 Baseball America first-team high school All-America selection has reached base safely in 31 of his 32 career games and is currently riding a five-game hitting streak, reaching base safely in nine straight.
Softball: Griffin Joiner
Freshman Griffin Joiner led the Wildcat attack at the plate in a crucial series victory over South Carolina. Joiner led the team with a .444 average on the week, score three times, walked four times, drove in three runs and doubled twice while stealing her second base of the season. Joiner's three-RBI day against the Gamecocks in the series-tying win marks a new career-high as well as the three walks she drew in the game. Joiner's development at the plate has been a key for the Blue and White as she was one of just two players to tally a hit against No. 12 Louisville in a midweek contest. Behind the plate as UK's catcher she caught two of the three base stealers in their attempts against the Gamecocks, adding to her repertoire.
Baseball: Luke Maile
Junior Luke Maile continued to pace the NCAA's leading offense during a four-game week, leading Kentucky its fourth consecutive series win to open conference play, with a series victory over No. 10 Ole Miss ... Maile collected a staggering 20 total bases in four games, launching three homers and three doubles with six RBI, batting .471 (8-for-17) ... The catcher extended his seven-game hitting streak during the week, starting with a two-homer game in UK's midweek win over Dayton, including a double and four RBI ... In the series-opener vs. Ole Miss, Maile collected a pair of run-sparking doubles in a 3-2 win, scoring both runs, including the go-ahead tally in the late innings ... In the series clincher, Maile put UK on the board with a solo homer to even the game, going 2-for-4 with two runs ... In the second game vs. Ole Miss, Maile collected a single ... On the year, Maile has hit .341 (42-for-123) with nine doubles, nine homers and 26 RBI, stealing seven bases.
Baseball: Alex Phillips
Senior left-handed reliever Alex Phillips was a workhorse for the UK bullpen during a four-game week, pitching on Friday and Sunday to win and save UK's two series-clinching victories over No. 10 Ole Miss ... In the series opener, Phillips came on in relief of starter Taylor Rogers, tossing 3.1 shutout innings, striking out three to pick up the win ... On Sunday, with UK facing its third consecutive rubber match, Phillips worked three innings just two days after his first three-inning workload, allowing one run to pick up the save ... Phillips has been a major force for a stout UK bullpen on the year, appearing in 14 games with a 5-0 record and a 2.01 ERA, totaling two saves in 31.1 innings.
Men's tennis: Eric Quigley
Quigley was the star of the weekend for Kentucky, winning both of his singles matches to increase his impressive record to 10-0 against SEC foes. The native of Pewee Valley, Ky., defeated two highly ranked foes during the week, including No. 15 Artem Ilyushin and No. 19 Nik Scholtz. Quigley's win over Scholtz was the match clincher in its win over Ole Miss.
Baseball
- Kentucky completed its first series win over Ole Miss since the 2008 season, as the Wildcats won the set over a blistering-hot Ole Miss club that entered the weekend fresh off a series win over consensus No. 1 Florida. UK posted a 3-2 win in the opener, suffered a 9-3 loss in the second game, before riding a strong pitching effort from Corey Littrell to a series-clinching win on Sunday, 8-3.
- UK has opened up the 2012 season with a 30-3 mark, the best start to a season in school history, leading the NCAA in wins and pacing the conference atop the standings for the second consecutive week.
- UK's 9-3 start to conference play is also a program best, with UK running up a school-record 21-game home winning streak earlier in the year and a program-best 22 game winning streak to open the season, the second-longest streak in the storied history of the SEC. UK now owns a 7-2 record against teams ranked in the top 25, with UK also boasting a 9-1 record in one-run games in 2012.
Men's tennis
- Behind a dominating performance in singles action that included a come-from-behind effort from senior No. 7 Eric Quigley for the decisive fourth point of the match, UK clinched a share of the SEC regular-season title with a 5-2 win over No. 14 Ole Miss on Sunday. UK began the weekend with a 6-1 win over No. 10 Mississippi State. This is the first SEC title since UK won the overall SEC Championship in 1992.
- Quigley was the star of the weekend for Kentucky, winning both of his singles matches to increase his impressive record to 10-0 against SEC foes. The native of Pewee Valley, Ky., defeated two highly ranked foes during the week, including No. 15 Artem Ilyushin and No. 19 Nik Scholtz. Quigley's win over Scholtz was the match clincher vs. Ole Miss.
- The two wins over the weekend takes Kentucky's record against top 25 teams this season to 9-3, while UK has earned 29 wins over top-25 teams since the start of the 2009 season. UK also continued to perform well at home, boosting its home record to 58-10 since the start of the 2009 season.
Gymnastics
- UK concluded the season with a fifth-place showing at the NCAA Champaign Regional behind a team score of 194.750.
- The Wildcats saved the best performance of the night for last, scoring a team score of 48.95 on uneven bars. Junior Caitlyn Ciokajlo led the way for Kentucky with a career-high tying 9.875, which ranked her fifth overall at the meet.
- UK seniors Storey Morris and Whitney Rose ended their collegiate careers with strong showings at the event. Morris posted a team-best 9.825 on balance beam and a 9.8 on both vault and bars, while Rose tied a season best score on bars with a 9.775.
Softball
- The Kentucky softball team earned a crucial series victory over South Carolina this weekend at home to improve to 5-7 in Southeastern Conference action and remain in the hunt for a spot in the SEC Tournament.
- Kentucky was led by the hot-hitting of senior Brittany Cervantes and freshman Griffin Joiner. Cervantes batted .400 for the week, including .500 against the Gamecocks. Cervantes hit homers in all three games against South Carolina, while scoring five times and driving in four runs. Joiner led the offensive unit with a .444 average for the week. She notched a pair of doubles and three runs driven in to help the Wildcat cause.
- Senior Rachel Riley also boasted the Wildcat attack with a .400 average and a pair of homers. She was vital in her pitching performance as well. Riley tossed her first shutout of the season in the series-tying victory. She went the distance and struck out five in the win. Senior Chanda Bell earned the other victory in the circle for UK while striking out 10 in a complete-game series-clincher on Sunday.
Women's tennis
- Women's tennis grabbed its first SEC victory of the season over Mississippi State, posting a final result of 5-1.
- In singles play, Jessica Stiles defeated 113th-ranked Alexandra Perper at the No. 1 singles slot, 6-7 (3), 6-1, 1-0 (10). Khristina Blajkevitch also found herself in a tight match as she defeated Olesya Tsigvintseva 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (8). Caitlin McGraw and Stephanie Fox also grabbed singles victories for the Cats.
- UK next faced No. 16 Ole Miss and fell 7-0. Freshman Edmee Morin-Kougoucheff put up a valiant effort in singles play, falling just short of Erin Stephens at the No. 3 singles slot, 6-7, 4-6.
Men's golf
- Men's golf finished 13th at the Gary Koch Invitational, its final tournament of the regular season.
- Junior Joseph Barr led Kentucky with a final score of 8-over-par, tying for 38th.
- It was the second time this season Barr had the best or tied for the best tournament finish on the team.
Women's golf
- The University of Kentucky women's golf team finished 13th at the 2012 Bryan National Collegiate.
- Junior Heather Lott finished the weekend in a tie for 35th at 11-over-par 227.
- Junior Betsie Johnson led Kentucky with eight birdies on the weekend.
Track and field
- Competing at the Florida Relays, junior Shiara Robinson recorded the seventh-best time in the 400m hurdles in UK history with a 1:00.85.
- Sophomore Julie Nunn ran the 10th fastest 400m dash in program history, clocking a 55.71.
- Freshman Keilah Tyson continued her impressive rookie campaign, missing out on her UK freshman record in the 100m by just 0.01 seconds.
- Junior Luis Orta finished fifth in the 5,000m with a time of 14:09.47, while sophomore Allison Peare finished fifth in the 800m.
Upcoming schedule
Tuesday, April 10
Baseball hosts Louisville - 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 11
Softball hosts Arkansas (DH) - 4:00 p.m. /6:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 12
Men's tennis hosts Illinois - 1:00 p.m.
Friday, April 13
Baseball at Arkansas - 7:35 p.m.
Softball hosts Georgia - 8:15 p.m.
Saturday, April 14
Men's tennis hosts Vanderbilt - 1:00 p.m.
Women's tennis at Vanderbilt - 1:00 p.m.
Softball hosts Georgia - 1:00 p.m.
Baseball at Arkansas - 3:05 p.m.
Track and field at Kentuckiana Border Battle (Louisville, Ky.)
Sunday, April 15
Softball hosts Georgia - 1:00 p.m.
Baseball at Arkansas - 1:05 p.m.
- Kentucky completed its first series win over Ole Miss since the 2008 season, as the Wildcats won the set over a blistering-hot Ole Miss club that entered the weekend fresh off a series win over consensus No. 1 Florida. UK posted a 3-2 win in the opener, suffered a 9-3 loss in the second game, before riding a strong pitching effort from Corey Littrell to a series-clinching win on Sunday, 8-3.
- UK has opened up the 2012 season with a 30-3 mark, the best start to a season in school history, leading the NCAA in wins and pacing the conference atop the standings for the second consecutive week.
- UK's 9-3 start to conference play is also a program best, with UK running up a school-record 21-game home winning streak earlier in the year and a program-best 22 game winning streak to open the season, the second-longest streak in the storied history of the SEC. UK now owns a 7-2 record against teams ranked in the top 25, with UK also boasting a 9-1 record in one-run games in 2012.
Men's tennis
- Behind a dominating performance in singles action that included a come-from-behind effort from senior No. 7 Eric Quigley for the decisive fourth point of the match, UK clinched a share of the SEC regular-season title with a 5-2 win over No. 14 Ole Miss on Sunday. UK began the weekend with a 6-1 win over No. 10 Mississippi State. This is the first SEC title since UK won the overall SEC Championship in 1992.
- Quigley was the star of the weekend for Kentucky, winning both of his singles matches to increase his impressive record to 10-0 against SEC foes. The native of Pewee Valley, Ky., defeated two highly ranked foes during the week, including No. 15 Artem Ilyushin and No. 19 Nik Scholtz. Quigley's win over Scholtz was the match clincher vs. Ole Miss.
- The two wins over the weekend takes Kentucky's record against top 25 teams this season to 9-3, while UK has earned 29 wins over top-25 teams since the start of the 2009 season. UK also continued to perform well at home, boosting its home record to 58-10 since the start of the 2009 season.
Gymnastics
- UK concluded the season with a fifth-place showing at the NCAA Champaign Regional behind a team score of 194.750.
- The Wildcats saved the best performance of the night for last, scoring a team score of 48.95 on uneven bars. Junior Caitlyn Ciokajlo led the way for Kentucky with a career-high tying 9.875, which ranked her fifth overall at the meet.
- UK seniors Storey Morris and Whitney Rose ended their collegiate careers with strong showings at the event. Morris posted a team-best 9.825 on balance beam and a 9.8 on both vault and bars, while Rose tied a season best score on bars with a 9.775.
Softball
- The Kentucky softball team earned a crucial series victory over South Carolina this weekend at home to improve to 5-7 in Southeastern Conference action and remain in the hunt for a spot in the SEC Tournament.
- Kentucky was led by the hot-hitting of senior Brittany Cervantes and freshman Griffin Joiner. Cervantes batted .400 for the week, including .500 against the Gamecocks. Cervantes hit homers in all three games against South Carolina, while scoring five times and driving in four runs. Joiner led the offensive unit with a .444 average for the week. She notched a pair of doubles and three runs driven in to help the Wildcat cause.
- Senior Rachel Riley also boasted the Wildcat attack with a .400 average and a pair of homers. She was vital in her pitching performance as well. Riley tossed her first shutout of the season in the series-tying victory. She went the distance and struck out five in the win. Senior Chanda Bell earned the other victory in the circle for UK while striking out 10 in a complete-game series-clincher on Sunday.
Women's tennis
- Women's tennis grabbed its first SEC victory of the season over Mississippi State, posting a final result of 5-1.
- In singles play, Jessica Stiles defeated 113th-ranked Alexandra Perper at the No. 1 singles slot, 6-7 (3), 6-1, 1-0 (10). Khristina Blajkevitch also found herself in a tight match as she defeated Olesya Tsigvintseva 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (8). Caitlin McGraw and Stephanie Fox also grabbed singles victories for the Cats.
- UK next faced No. 16 Ole Miss and fell 7-0. Freshman Edmee Morin-Kougoucheff put up a valiant effort in singles play, falling just short of Erin Stephens at the No. 3 singles slot, 6-7, 4-6.
Men's golf
- Men's golf finished 13th at the Gary Koch Invitational, its final tournament of the regular season.
- Junior Joseph Barr led Kentucky with a final score of 8-over-par, tying for 38th.
- It was the second time this season Barr had the best or tied for the best tournament finish on the team.
Women's golf
- The University of Kentucky women's golf team finished 13th at the 2012 Bryan National Collegiate.
- Junior Heather Lott finished the weekend in a tie for 35th at 11-over-par 227.
- Junior Betsie Johnson led Kentucky with eight birdies on the weekend.
Track and field
- Competing at the Florida Relays, junior Shiara Robinson recorded the seventh-best time in the 400m hurdles in UK history with a 1:00.85.
- Sophomore Julie Nunn ran the 10th fastest 400m dash in program history, clocking a 55.71.
- Freshman Keilah Tyson continued her impressive rookie campaign, missing out on her UK freshman record in the 100m by just 0.01 seconds.
- Junior Luis Orta finished fifth in the 5,000m with a time of 14:09.47, while sophomore Allison Peare finished fifth in the 800m.
Upcoming schedule
Tuesday, April 10
Baseball hosts Louisville - 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 11
Softball hosts Arkansas (DH) - 4:00 p.m. /6:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 12
Men's tennis hosts Illinois - 1:00 p.m.
Friday, April 13
Baseball at Arkansas - 7:35 p.m.
Softball hosts Georgia - 8:15 p.m.
Saturday, April 14
Men's tennis hosts Vanderbilt - 1:00 p.m.
Women's tennis at Vanderbilt - 1:00 p.m.
Softball hosts Georgia - 1:00 p.m.
Baseball at Arkansas - 3:05 p.m.
Track and field at Kentuckiana Border Battle (Louisville, Ky.)
Sunday, April 15
Softball hosts Georgia - 1:00 p.m.
Baseball at Arkansas - 1:05 p.m.
It can be hard to keep up with everything going on in the University of Kentucky's 22 varsity sports. With that in mind, we will highlight the best from around Kentucky sports each week. We'll recognize the best performances from Wildcat teams and players, we'll show you the coolest videos and photos that you may have missed and we'll mix in some new stuff along the way. Here are your award winners for this week:
Head over to CoachCal.com to watch John Calipari address his team in the locker room after winning the national championship, then break out a couple dance moves much to the delight of his players.
Team of the week - Men's tennis clinch share of SEC title
Dennis Emery's squad continues to roll as the sixth-ranked Kentucky men's tennis team took down No. 14 Ole Miss Sunday in Lexington. The 5-2 victory was good for at least a share of the SEC regular season title, just the second in school history.
Kentucky got huge performances in singles, including the match-clinching point from senior Eric Quigley, who moves to 10-0 against SEC opponents this season. Anthony Rossi, Tom Jomby, and Alejandro Gomez also won in straight sets after Ole Miss had taken the doubles point early in the match.
Sitting undefeated in the conference, Kentucky (22-4, 10-0) needs a win over Vanderbilt this weekend or a loss by Georgia (9-1) to win the SEC title outright.
Game of the Week - Baseball rides Sunday win to yet another series victory over Ole Miss
Staring down a rubber match after No. 1 Kentucky and No. 10 Ole Miss had split the first two games of a weekend set, the top-ranked Wildcats proved their ranking with a dominating 8-3 win over the Rebels Sunday afternoon. Kentucky got a solid pitching performance out of sophomore starter Corey Littrell, who got his fifth win of the season as the UK won their fourth consecutive SEC series to start the season.
Down a run in the sixth inning, the Wildcats (30-3, 9-3) loaded the bases with Cameron Flynn coming to the plate. Looking to do some damage, Flynn blasted a grand slam for his eighth homer of the year as the Cats plated five runs in the inning, giving UK enough cushion to finish off the Rebels.
Player of the Week - Cervantes hits three homers in softball's series win over South Carolina
As the Kentucky softball team looks to make a strong push in its conference schedule down the stretch, senior third baseman Brittany Cervantes is doing all she can to see it through.
The UK record holder for home runs in a season continues to add to her total. In a 2-1 series win over conference foe South Carolina, Cervantes launched three homers, one in each game, to help the Cats capture the weekend set against the Gamecocks. She went 4-8 (.500) with 4 RBI and 3 walks over the three games against USC.
Photo of the Week - Celebrating the title, one more time
Photo by Chet White, UK Athletics
Photo by Chet White, UK Athletics
Video of the Week - Coach Cal puts on his dancing shoes
Head over to CoachCal.com to watch John Calipari address his team in the locker room after winning the national championship, then break out a couple dance moves much to the delight of his players.
Alumus/Alumnae of the week - Rajon Rondo in midst of 17-game double-digit assist streak
Former UK point guard Rajon Rondo is having one of his best seasons a pro. Right now, he is red hot with 17-game stretch in which he has accumulated at least 10 assists each contest. The 17-consecutive games with double-digit assist totals is good for the fourth-best in NBA history.
Rondo is averaging 12.1 points and 11.2 assists per game this year, but over the 17 games, he's averaging 13.2 assists per contest, including a couple of 17-assist performances. Three games before the streak began, Rondo reeled off a 20-assist performance that was part of a triple-double against the Knicks in which he scored 18 points and pulled down 17 rebounds.
UK's comeback victory over Ole Miss locked up a share of the regular-season SEC title. (Steve Harp, UK Athletics)
For just the second time in school history (the first was in 1992), UK won a share of the Southeastern Conference title with a 5-2 win over No. 14 Ole Miss. The sixth-ranked Wildcats moved to 22-4 and a perfect 10-0 in conference play.
The victory closed out a weekend sweep of Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and came in spite of losing the doubles point to the visiting Rebels. UK rallied in singles to win five of six matches, with No. 7 Eric Quigley coming back from a set down to clinch the match for the Cats against No. 19 Nik Scholtz.
Even though the Wildcats are rightfully celebrating their accomplishment, they have their eyes on bigger goals. First, UK will look to close out the regular season strong in home matches this weekend against Illinois and Vanderbilt. A victory over Vandy will seal an outright regular-season SEC title.
From there, Kentucky will move on to the postseason, first in the SEC Tournament beginning on April 19, then in the NCAA Tournament, which kicks off on May 11.
Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes. These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, Apr. 1:
Baseball: Austin Cousino
Freshman centerfielder Austin Cousino launched three homers, owned a .375 average (6-for-16) and paced the club with nine RBI to help carry Kentucky to a midweek win over Western Kentucky and its first series win at No. 18 Georgia since 2000 ... Hit three homers during the four-game week, adding five runs, two walks, one hit by pitch, two sacrifice bunts and a stolen base ... Has hit a homer in four of his last five games, including a stretch of three consecutive that was snapped in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday, hours after his three-run homer rallied UK from a six-hole deficit in the first of the twinbill ... Launched another three-run homer to kick off the week in a win over Western Kentucky, adding a single ... In the series opener at UGA, with UK trailing 6-0, launched a seventh-inning, three-run homer over the cavernous right-centerfield fence at Foley Field to spark a six-run inning to even the game ... In a pressure-laden rubber match at UGA Sunday, batted 2-for-5 with three RBI, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning ... During the series at UGA, Cousino launched two homers and had six RBI, with a steal, two sacrifice bunts and four runs scored ... Cousino ranks among the SEC leaders in nearly every category, ranking ninth in average (.358), eighth in slugging (.583), first in runs scored (31), third in hits (43), 11th in RBI (24), fourth in doubles (10), eighth in home runs (five), second in total bases (70), 10th in steals (six) and first in at bats (120) ... Cousino is also leading the club with four outfield assists ... He already ranks among the all-time UK freshmen hitting records in home runs (ninth), 22nd in RBI (24) and 22nd in hits (24), through his first 29 career games ... He has hit safely in 26 of his 27 games in 2012.
Track & field: Raymond Dykstra
- Set a career-best mark in the javelin with a throw of 75.41m/247-05.
- His javelin mark is the best in program history.
- Now holds the UK freshman record in the javelin.
- Finished third in the javelin at the Texas Relays.
Track & field: Terri-Ann Grant
- Career-best mark in the high jump of 1.81m/5-11.25.
- Second-best mark in Kentucky history.
- Finished third in the event at the Texas Relays.
- Broke her previous career-best mark by 1.25 inches.
Men's tennis: Tom Jomby
Was the star of Kentucky's win over No. 3 Georgia, winning a three-set thriller at court 4 to give the Wildcats the win. The native of Nantes, France won a third-set tiebreaker 7-1 to earn the win over No. 33 Ignacio Taboada.
Baseball: Corey Littrell
Sophomore starter Corey Littrell turned in his second consecutive winning effort in a road rubber match, leading UK to its first series win in Athens since the 2000 season on Sunday... Worked a career-high 7.2 innings in the win at No. 18 Georgia on Sunday, allowing eight hits and one run, walking two and striking out five ... Littrell ranks among the SEC leaders in several categories, including fourth in ERA (1.88), eighth in innings pitched (43.0), ninth in strikeouts (41), sixth in wins (four) and first in pickoffs.
Track & field: Luis Orta
- Ran a career-best time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
- Third-best 3,000m steeplechase in school history.
- Won the race at the Texas Relays by 4.27 seconds.
- Was competing in his first outdoor race of the year.
Men's golf: David Snyder
- Finished in a tie for second at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate.
- Recorded a career-low 54-hole total of 212, 4-under-par.
- His second-place finish is his best in his collegiate career.
- Has now had 15.5 of his 17 rounds played counted toward the team score - best rate on the team (91 percent).
Track & field: Keilah Tyson
- Broke the Kentucky 100m dash freshman record.
- Her time of 11.52 in the 100m dash is a career-best and the third best in school history.
- Finished 10th in the 100m dash at the Texas Relays.
- Was the top freshman finisher in the 100m dash at the Texas Relays.
Baseball: Michael Williams
UK senior catcher Michael Williams hit .500 (8-for-16) during a four-game week, leading the Wildcats to their first series win at No. 18 Georgia since the 2000 season ... A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Williams launched two doubles and led the club with nine RBI ... In a series-evening game at Georgia on Saturday, Williams notched a career-high four RBI, including a bases-clearing double that erased a three-run hole early in the game ... Went 2-for-4 in the Saturday win to even the series ... Collected a career-high three hits in the rubber match win, including two RBI, a walk and a double ... In the series opener at UGA, recorded one hit ... In a midweek win over Western Kentucky, Williams batted 2-for-3, tying his then career-high with three RBI, drawing a walk ... On the year, Williams has hit .310 (27-for-87) with three doubles, one homer, 22 RBI and 10 walks, despite missing five games due to a finger injury on his catching hand.
Senior Eric Quigley, the school's all-time wins leader, has helped lead UK to a 6-0 start in SEC play. (Tyler Bissmeyer, UK Athletics)
While the Big Blue Nation is fixated on the intrastate taking place in New Orleans on Saturday, the tennis team has their sights on the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs for top spot in the Southeastern Conference. With both teams sitting undefeated (6-0) in the conference, this weekend pits two top-10 teams against each other with a chance to get a leg up in the race for a conference championship.
For No. 9 Kentucky (18-4, 6-0), this weekend is an opportunity to see just where they stand amongst the nation's elite. Head coach Dennis Emery says Georgia is a measuring stick to determine where their team is.
"There's no question," said Emery. "A lot of people use (Georgia) as that. Georgia, what (Manny Diaz) has done really (well) is maintain a top-six ranking despite whoever he puts on the court. He's been able to maintain that top-six ranking, which is something everyone in the conference has had trouble doing."
It's a healthy rivalry in that Kentucky has been able to beat them over the years, but it has been up and down. While Georgia has remained among the top teams in the country consistently, Kentucky has shown up sporadically.
"The first time we really came up to challenge them was '88," said Emery. "We won in '88 and '89. Won the conference in '92 beating them. So, we've been a little out; they've been consistent. But when we've been good, we've been really good. And we're very good this year."
And they results so far this spring back Emery up.
Kentucky has defeated quite a few of the best teams in the country, but lost to a few as well. UK has played 17 matches this spring against teams currently ranked in the top 70 in the nation, including a 6-3 mark against top-25 teams. So far this spring, UK has wins over No. 7 Pepperdine, No. 11 Florida, No. 15 Auburn, No. 18 Tulsa, No. 23 Indiana, No. 25 Texas A&M, No. 27 LSU, No. 33 North Carolina State, No. 39 Arkansas, No. 40 South Carolina, No. 41 Notre Dame, No. 60 Louisiana-Lafayette and No. 66 Alabama.
That qualifies as "very good."
A daunting schedule like Kentucky has faced this season can ruin a season in an instant, but instead, this "fantastic" bunch, as Emery calls it, led by seniors Eric Quigley and Eric Musialek as well as junior Anthony Rossi have risen to the occasion. Emery feels their schedule has prepared them for Georgia and a deep run into the postseason.
"We schedule the way we schedule so that when we go into these situations we'll be able to compete," said Emery. "We've played Ohio State twice who is number two in the country: one really good match, one not as good. One really tight one, so we know we're capable. We know we can play at that level. Part of it is the schedule allows us to see the best people, the best teams, the best players, and that certainly helps going into Georgia."
The upper-class trio of Quigley (No. 7), Musialek (No. 18) and Rossi (No. 22) have been dominant this season in singles play. They have played their way into individual top-22 rankings and have been the backbone of this team's success. The Achilles heel for this team has been their lack of production in doubles. The doubles point in the matches they have lost this year have been costly and decisive.
"If we want to achieve our goals at the end of the year, we have to pick it up in doubles," said Emery. "Now, we're getting better in our doubles. We're working hard on our doubles."
Emery believes that earlier in the season, the guys discounted the importance of the doubles point, but as the season progresses, they are starting to realize its significance.
"I think earlier in the year there wasn't a sense among the team, no matter what the coaching staff said, that the doubles was really important, and you have to be fundamentally sound, and you have to do these things," said Emery. "I think as the season's gone on, they've bought in a little bit more and understand how important it is. You don't go far, you don't win national championships, you don't go to Final Fours without winning the doubles."
Emery says that he likes where they are at with the doubles after making some adjustments to the team and a greater focus in practice.
The weekend with Georgia and the improvement of the double's point could go a long way in determining just how good this team is and how far it can go. During the interview, Emery dropped subtle hints and mentions of deep tournament runs and a Final Four.
At a university where all eyes are on the basketball team who has an SEC Championship to their name and Final Four run in progress, Emery has similar visions for his team in the near future. But there's still work to be done for this team to achieve those lofty goals.
"Our goal, early on, has been to go to the Final Four and win an SEC Championship," said Emery. "We're in position where we can do those things. It's certainly not going to be easy. There's seven teams ranked in the top 16 in the conference right now. So that makes it very, very difficult to really feel good about it, no matter where you're at in the season."
But Emery feels the talent and the potential is there to do something special, even with teams like Georgia and others standing in their way.
"We do feel like we have an opportunity, particular as you say, we improve our doubles," said Emery. "We do feel like we have an opportunity to go to the Final Four. We've lost to eventual National Champion the last two years, Southern (California), in the round of 16 and the Elite Eight. We feel like we have a better team this year. We feel like we have a more experienced team this year. We feel like we have a more athletic team this year. A lot of that is the matchups, who you play, who has someone get injured, but we feel like we have the potential to accomplish what we set out to at the beginning of the year."
Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes. These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, March 25:
Gymnastics: Holly Cunningham
Sophomore Holly Cunningham posted the highest individual score for Kentucky at the SEC Championships with her career-high tying 9.85 on vault. Has now posted a 9.8 or higher on vault in nine of her last 10 meets.
Softball: Griffin Joiner
Freshman Griffin Joiner was her continued steady-self offering the Wildcats a .300 batting clip and a pair of crucial RBI in helping clinch a series over No. 18/21 Auburn. Joiner gave UK a 1-0 lead in both of the final two games of the series with the Tigers. In Saturday's game the lead would be one UK would not relinquish en route to earning a series win over the Tigers for just the fourth time in school history. Her sacrifice fly in the final game of the series proved to be UK's lone scoring of the game and it was a lead UK held until Auburn mounted a two-run bottom of the seventh rally to salvage a sweep. Joiner's presence at catcher cannot go unnoticed. She logged a perfect 1.000 fielding clip while notching 28 putouts and four assists. Runners attempted to steal on her a mere three times, and she successfully turned the play in all three attempts not allowing any runners to advance a base on her watch. Her success rate discouraged additional attempts as teams opted for sacrifice hits and hit-and-runs.
Men's tennis: Alex Musialek
Became the 14th player in school history to record 100 singles wins with his come-from-behind win over No. 82 Roberto Maytin of Baylor. The native of Dax, France, earned the historic win in a three-set thriller over No. 82 Roberto Maytin at No. 2 singles. After dropping the first set 3-6, Musialek dominated the second set 6-1 and then rolled in the third set 6-4 to grab the win.
Baseball: Alex Phillips
Senior southpaw Alex Phillips had a pair of strong relief outings in helping the Wildcats extend their NCAA-leading 24-1 record with a series win at Tennessee and a midweek win at Cincinnati ... In game two of the series at UT, Phillips entered the game after a rain storm had halted play on Sunday, working the final 4.1 shutout innings to post a win to even that series ... In a midweek win at UC, Phillips entered when the steady UK bullpen was allowing six runs to make the contest tight ... Phillips immediately got UK out of any trouble to lock the save down with two innings and two strikeouts ... On the year, Phillips owns a 3-0 record and a 2.11 ERA in 10 relief outings, tossing 21.1 innings, allowing only 12 hits and five walks, striking out 19, with a .190 opposing batting average.
Baseball: J.T. Riddle
Sophomore second baseman J.T. Riddle had a clutch week in helping No. 2 Kentucky to a midweek win at Cincinnati and a series victory at Tennessee ... Riddle's clutch hitting led UK to the series win over the Vols, UK's first in Knoxville since the 2008 season and helped the Wildcats improve to a nation-leading 24-1, including a 5-1 mark in SEC play ... After the Wildcats suffered their first loss of the year in the series opener on Friday night to snap a 22-game winning streak, Riddle's bat paced UK to the series-evening win in game two, batting 3-for-4 with three RBI, a homer and a triple ... In the series finale, a seven-inning game, the two teams were locked in a scoreless pitching duel in the top of the sixth when Riddle smacked a double off the wall in leftfield to score the go-ahead and game-winning run ... In a midweek win at UC, Riddle scored a pair of runs and added an RBI single ... In addition to his contributions at the plate, Riddle has played stellar defense at second base, with his instincts, range and arm strength helping the UK defensive unit rank second in the SEC in fielding ... On the year, Riddle has hit .318 (28-for-88), with five doubles, one triple, one homer and 18 RBI, with his 23 runs scored ranking eighth in the league.
Softball: Rachel Riley
Senior Rachel Riley was flawless in her two starts and two victories this week in UK's impressive 3-1 weekend including taking a series from No. 18/21 Auburn for just the fourth time school history. Riley earned the decisive-series clinching victory over the Tigers with a complete-game effort. She worked 7.0 innings yielding just one earned run and limiting Auburn to a mere five hits. She struck out four in the win. The win marked the ninth of her career over a top-25 ranked opponent and the first in her senior campaign. She also contributed offensively with a 2-for-4 day at the dish which was her sixth multi-hit outing of the season. In UK's non-conference victory in front of her hometown of Bowling Green, Ky., on the campus of Western Kentucky, Riley again worked a complete-game. She struck out six batters and allowed just five Hilltopper hits. She also logged a 1-for-4 day at the plate in the UK victory. With 10 strikeouts this weekend, Riley moved into fifth place on UK's all-time career strikeout list. With two wins she also becomes just one of three pitchers in school history with 35 or more career wins.
Baseball: Chandler Shepherd
Right-hander Chandler Shepherd made his first career road start at Big East foe Cincinnati on Wednesday, posting his second career win ... Shepherd worked a career-long 5.2 innings, allowing five hits and two runs, striking out two ... Shepherd worked five shutout innings and came out for the sixth inning in an effort to extend his pitch count, with the Bearcats scoring two on a triple ... On the year, Shepherd has appeared in five games with four starts, posting a 2-0 record and a 3.15 ERA, in 20 innings, walking five and striking out 11.
