LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Mississippi State's women's team (9-7, 0-7 SEC) dropped its sixth match of the season to a top 20 team Sunday afternoon as the Lady Bulldogs fell in a tough 7-0 contest to 20th-ranked Kentucky (11-6, 2-5 SEC) on the road.
Things started off well for the Lady Bulldogs when seniors Martina Banikova and Elna de Villiers took an 8-3 victory at court No. 1 in doubles over the 40th-ranked UK tandem of Carolina Escamilla and Caroline Lilley.
Needing one more win to take the doubles point, State turned to the second and third positions for the clinching victory. MSU fell short, however. The freshman duo of Natalia Mayuk and Olesya Tsigvintseva dropped an 8-2 match at No. 2, before the State duo of Radka Ferancova and Valeriya Makarycheva fell 8-5 to the UK duo of Lauren Meier and Whitney Spencer at No. 3.
Kentucky was strong in singles, notching wins on every court to clinch the victory.
MSU's Banikova was the first Lady Bulldog to fall when she lost a 6-1, 6-1 contest to Megan Broderick of Kentucky at positon No. 2. That was followed by a court six setback, where Valeriya Makarycheva could not stave off Caroline Lilley of UK in a 6-2, 6-4 defeat.
Up 3-0, Kentucky picked up the match-clinching triumph at court No. 5 where Whitney Spencer ousted MSU's Juskova 7-5, 6-1.
UK finished scoring with triumphs In the final three matches of the day. MSU's Tsigvintseva fell 6-3, 6-4 at the top position to Escamilla, while Ferancova endured a 6-3, 7-5 decision on court No. 3 against Wildcat Lauren Meier. Kentucky picked up the final victory of the day at the No. 4 position where State's de Villiers fell 6-3, 6-2 to UK's Christine Johnston.
The Lady Bulldogs now return home for their final two home matches of the regular season. Mississippi State welcomes Arkansas this Friday, April 10, at 11 a.m. CT before hosting LSU in a 1 p.m. CT affair Sunday, April 12. It will be the final home weekend for MSU's three seniors - Banikova, de Villiers and Juskova.
#20 Kentucky 7, #60 Mississippi State 0
April 5, 2009 ? Lexington, Ky.
DOUBLES ? Martina Banikova/Elna de Villiers (MSU) def. #40 Carolina Escamilla/Caroline Lilley (UK) 8-3; Megan Broderick/Christine Johnston (UK) def. Natalia Mayuk/Olesya Tsigvintseva (MSU) 8-2; Lauren Meier/Whitney Spencer (UK) def. Radka Ferancova/Daniela Juskova (MSU) 8-5.
SINGLES ? Escamilla (UK) def. Tsigvintseva (MSU) 6-3, 6-4; Broderick (UK) def. Banikova (MSU) 6-1, 6-1; Meier (UK) def. Ferancova (MSU) 6-3, 7-5; Johnston (UK) def. de Villiers (MSU) 6-3, 6-2; Spencer (UK) def. Juskova (MSU) 7-5, 6-1; Lilley (UK) def. Valeriya Makarycheva (MSU) 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish... Doubles (1, 2, 3) Singles (2, 6, 5, 1, 3, 4)
