Tigers Battle Kentucky to Final Match, Fall 4-3

Sunday, February 18

Princeton, N.J.

12:00 PM

Princeton University

Kentucky

Tiffany Chen had a 6-0, 6-0 win at sixth to get Princeton going in singles, but the Tigers came up a point short on the afternoon against Kentucky.

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

February 18, 2018 | Women's Tennis

Two Sundays after defeating then-No. 12 Auburn, the Princeton women's tennis team came up a set short of going 2 for 2 against the SEC, falling 4-3 to Kentucky in Jadwin Gym.

Princeton entered the match at 7-0 and ranked No. 24 by the USTA while receiving votes in the ITA poll. Kentucky received votes in both.

Princeton opened the afternoon strong, getting the doubles point via wins on court one and two, including a win over 28th-ranked Mami Adachi and Emily Fanning by Nicole Kalhorn and Stephanie Schrage at first. Tiffany Chen, who clinched that Auburn match, then followed with a 6-0, 6-0 win at sixth to put Princeton up 2-0. Kentucky won the next two matches off court, at third and fourth, to tie it at 2-2, and Katrine Steffensen won at first to put Princeton a point away.

Kentucky then took the last straight-set match of the afternoon on court five to tie it at 3-3, and though rookie Stephanie Schrage rallied from a first-set loss to send her match to a third, Kentucky's Justina Mikulskyte won the last frame 6-3 to clinch the match.

The Tigers will begin a run of four straight contests against Big Ten opponents Wednesday when Rutgers comes to Jadwin Gym.

Doubles
1. Kalhorn/Schrage (Princeton) def. #28 Adachi/Fanning (Kentucky), 6-3
2. McKee/Steffensen (Princeton) def. Jacobs/Tulloch (Kentucky), 6-0
3. Mikulskyte/Tkachenko (Kentucky) def. Sara Goodwin/Nathalie Rodilosso (Princeton), 6-2

Singles
1. #100 Katrine Steffensen (Princeton) def. Emily Fanning (Kentucky), 6-2, 6-3
2. Justina Mikulskyte (Kentucky) def. #81 Stephanie Schrage (Princeton), 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
3. Mami Adachi (Kentucky) def. Nicole Kalhorn (Princeton), 6-2, 6-3
4. Diana Tkachenko (Kentucky) def. Clare McKee (Princeton), 6-3, 6-1
5. Lesedi Jacobs (Kentucky) def. Gaby Pollner (Princeton), 6-4, 6-3
6. Tiffany Chen (Princeton) def. Brianna Tulloch (Kentucky), 6-0, 6-0