Tennis Drops Season Opener to (RV) Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Marshall tennis dropped its opening match of the season Wednesday, as (RV) Kentucky defeated the Thundering Herd, 6-1, at the Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Center.

"I thought it was a great match to open our season with such a young team against a very well-coach and highly ranked national program," Marshall head coach John Mercer said. "We did many things well but will work hard to improve."

Marshall struggled in doubles play to start the season, as the Wildcats claimed wins at the Nos. 2 and 3 positions to clinch the point. Anna Smith and Victoria Walter were defeated by UK's Tiphanie Fiquet and Lesedi Jacobs, 6-2, while Daniela Dankanych and Matilde Mulatero fell to Kentucky's Justina Mikulskyte and Anastasia Tkachenko, 6-3. Madi Ballow and Liz Stefancic had a 4-3 lead over Akvile Parazinskaite and Alexis Merrill at the top doubles spot but their match went unfinished.

Kentucky rattled off three straight wins to open singles play, clinching the match win in the process. Stefancic played a close first set before falling to Fiquet, 6-4, 6-2. Ballow was defeated by Parazinskaite, who finished the 2018 season in the final ITA rankings, 6-3, 6-2. UK's Mikulskyte defeated Smith in the clinching match, 6-2, 6-4. Mulatero, in her collegiate debut, was defeated in straight sets by Anastasia Tkachenko, 6-2, 6-1. Dankanych was defeated by Diana Tkachenko in a third set tiebreak in her first dual match action since 2017, 6-4, 5-7, 1-0.

Walter defeated Jacobs in a third set tiebreaker, 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8), to give the Herd its only point of the match.

"It was great for Victoria to pull out a win," Mercer said. "She fought hard and earned it today."

RESULTS
Singles
1. Justina Mikulskyte (Kentucky) def. Anna Smith (Marshall); 6-2, 6-4
2. Akvile Parazinskaite (Kentucky) def. Madi Ballow (Marshall); 6-3, 6-2
3. Victoria Walter (Marshall) def. Lesedi Jacobs (Kentucky); 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8)
4. Tiphanie Fiquet (Kentucky) def. Liz Stefancic (Marshall); 6-4, 6-2
5. Diana Tkachenko (Kentucky) def. Daniela Dankanych (Marshall); 6-4, 5-7, 1-0
6. Anastasia Tkachenko (Kentucky) def. Matilde Mulatero (Marshall); 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 4,2,1,3,6,5
Doubles
1. Madi Ballow/Liz Stefancic (Marshall) vs. Akvile Parazinskaite/Alexis Merrill (Kentucky); 4-3, unfinished
2. Tiphanie Fiquet/Lesedi Jacobs (Kentucky) def. Anna Smith/Victoria Walter (Marshall); 6-2
3. Justina Mikulskyte/Anastasia Tkachenko (Kentucky) def. Daniela Dankanych/Matilde Mulatero (Marshall); 6-3
Order of finish: 2,3

UP NEXT
Marshall does not play for the next nine days before opening the home portion of its schedule with a doubleheader against Wright State and West Virginia State. First serve against the Raiders is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Jan. 26, with the Thundering Herd's in-state match with the Yellow Jackets tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m.

FOLLOW THE #HERDFAMILY
For the latest information on Marshall women's tennis, follow on Twitter at @Herd_Tennis, on Facebook at Herd Tennis and online at HerdZone.com.

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Madi Ballow

Daniela Dankanych

Matilde Mulatero

Anna Smith

Liz Stefancic

Victoria Walter