Tennis Drops 5-2 Decision at Kentucky

CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati tennis team was dealt its first loss of the season as the Bearcats fell on the road to Kentucky, 5-2, Tuesday night inside the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center on the UK campus. The loss dropped UC to 2-1 on the year while the Wildcats improved to 5-0 on the year after defeating both UC and Miami (Ohio) on the day. Emma Miceli and Maria Santilli secured wins at #4 and #6 singles, respectively, for the Bearcats' lone points on the night.

// TOTH TALKS
Following the match, Head Coach Eric Toth offered his thoughts on the play of his team:

"Tonight was very competitive from start to finish," Toth said. "Our girls did a very good job playing within themselves all night which always gives you the best chance for success regardless of the competition. Kentucky was just better in the end. It's a positive step for our group and we need to keep putting in the hard work at practice to keep this moving in the right direction."

// SNAPPING IN THE STREAK
While the loss snaps the Bearcats' two-match winning streak to open the dual season, the team was able to snap a series streak in the process as the two points earned in the team score are the first in the history of the series with UK after the Wildcats had won the previous five matches by 7-0 sweeps. Overall, the Bearcats fell to 0-6 all-time in the series with the Wildcats with all six contests being held in Lexington. The series began in 2001 with the most recent meeting ahead of tonight coming in 2014.

// DOUBLES MATCHES
The dual opened with the Wildcats claiming the doubles point as both teams at #1 and #2 won by 6-3 scores. At #1, Ioana Guna and Caroline Morton fell to the #21 tandem in the nation in Akvile Parazinskaite and Lesedi Jacobs while the UC duo of Alexia Coutino and Miceli fell to the team of Diana Tkachenko and Carla Girbau. At #3, the Bearcats team of Kelli Niehaus and Anna Philp grabbed a 6-4 win (the match was initially reported as unfinished at 5-4).

// SINGLES PLAY
UC captured a pair of points in singles play to prevent a sweep by the hosts with both Miceli and Santilli winning their matches. Miceli battled to win at #4 as she won the first set, 6-3, before falling in the second, 2-6. In the tie break, the junior won, 10-8, to grab the 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-8) victory, the first individual win in the history of the series between the two schools. Later in the dual, Santilli won in straight sets as she secured another point at #6 singles with her 6-2, 6-1 win.

UK won points at #1, #2, #3 and #5 on the night with all four coming in straight sets. Morton played #59 Lesedi Jacobs to a 6-4, 6-4 score, giving her nationally-ranked foe a battle throughout. In the other matches, Ioana Guna fell to Parazinskaite, 6-2, 7-5, at #1 and Alexia Coutino fell at #3 in a 6-0, 6-2 setback to Carla Girbau. At #5, Niehaus suffered her first dual defeat as the freshman dropped a 6-1, 6-3 decision.

// NEXT SERVE
The Bearcats will have a little over one week off from competition before playing twice more next weekend, including their first home contest of 2020. First up will be the home opener at 5 p.m. Friday, January 31, with the RedHawks of Miami (Ohio) coming to town in a dual that will be played at Western Tennis and Fitness Club in Cincinnati. Then, two days later, the Bearcats will return to the road once more as they head north to Miamisburg for a Sunday, February 2, dual with host Dayton in a 10 a.m. contest inside the South Regency Tennis Center.

Dual #3 • Cincinnati at Kentucky
January 21, 2020 • Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center (Lexington, Ky.)
Kentucky wins, 5-2
SINGLES
1 • Akvile Parazinskaite (K) def. Ioana Guna, 6-2, 7-5
2 • #59 Lesedi Jacobs (K) def. Caroline Morton, 6-4, 6-4
3 • Carla Girbau (K) def. Alexia Coutino, 6-0, 6-2
4 • Emma Miceli (C) def. Diana Tkachenko, 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-8)
5 • Anastasia Tkachenko (K) def. Kelli Niehaus, 6-1, 6-3
6 • Maria Santilli (C) def. Brianna Tulloch, 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 3-1-2-4-5-6

DOUBLES
1 • #21 Parazinskaite / Jacobs (K) def. Guna / Morton, 6-3 
2 • D. Tkachenko / Girbau (K) def. Coutino / Miceli, 6-3
3 • Niehaus / Anna Philp (C) def. A. Tkachenko / Carlota Molina, 6-4
Order of finish: 1-2-3