< Previous68 @UKFootball T he University of Kentucky men’s and women’s tennis programs have em- barked on new beginnings following historic 2020-21 campaigns. Last season, the men were led by New- market, Ontario, native Liam Draxl, who was crowned the first ITA National Player of the Year in program history. Draxl finished No. 1 in the final ITA Division I Men's Singles Rankings with a 25-3 record after reaching the NCAA Championship semifinals. Draxl was accompanied in ITA All-American sin- gles recognition by Gabriel Diallo, who was also named a doubles ITA All-American alongside César Bourgois. Kentucky's team performance ended in the second round of the NCAA Champi- onship by way of the season's only loss at home. At season’s end, Matthew Gordon was named ITA Ohio Valley Regional Assistant Coach of the Year. Draxl enters the 2021-22 season No. 1 in the ITA Preseason Rankings, while Diallo checks in at No. 13, Joshua Lapadat enters at No. 71 and newcomer Francois Musitel- li comes in at No. 105. Diallo and Musitelli also rank as the No. 37 doubles pair in the nation. The men’s team has already gotten off to a dominant start to the fall 2021 season in head coach Cedric Kauffmann’s 10th sea- son at the helm of his alma mater, sweeping the ITA Ohio Valley Re- gional Championships for the first time ever on Sept. 27. Diallo was crowned champion of the singles tournament, while Lapadat and for- mer Ohio State transfer JJ Mercer earned the competition's doubles title. Additionally, Jon- athan Sorbo came out on top of the singles consolation bracket. Diallo's victory was the fourth ITA Ohio Valley Regional Singles Championship in school history. Former Kentucky teammates Eric Quigley (2009, 2010) and Alex Musialek (2011) claimed the Ohio Valley Region's first three singles titles following the sport's region- al realignment of 2009. Lapadat and Mercer's ITA Ohio Valley Regional Doubles Champi- onship is the first of its kind in program history. On the women’s side last season, the dy- namic duo of now-soph- omore Fiona Arrese and recent graduate Akvile Parazinskaite earned ITA All-America honors after earning the No. 1 seed in the doubles draw for the NCAA Tournament. They were the Southeastern Conference’s automatic qualifiers in the 32-team doubles tournament held at the UTSA National Campus. Arrese and Paraz- inskaite were the first Wildcats to be ranked No. 1 since Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi in 2016, and the first under head coach Carlos Drada to earn the top overall seed in the doubles draw. The pair amassed a 21-5 overall re- cord on the season, includ- ing a 7-4 mark against ranked foes, and were 11-1 in SEC play. Arrese and Paražinskaite were also named to the first team of the All- SEC Team, marking the first time Kentucky has had two players selected in the same sea- son since 1987. Just as they excelled on the court, the team also excelled in the classroom. For the third consecutive year, the program earned ITA All-Academic Team recognition after posting a 3.583 GPA. Arrese, Carla Girbau, Lesedi Jacobs, Maialen Morante, Mina Obradovic, Paraz- inskaite, Elizabeth Stevens, and Diana Tk- achenko were also named ITA Scholar-Ath- letes for their individual achievements in the classroom, and those eight players earning the honor matched the UK program record of individuals receiving the honor. The Wildcats, who concluded the 2020- 21 slate with a 16-9 (.640) overall record and a 6-7 (.462) mark in the SEC, have re- turned six players this year, including Arrese. The team has welcomed three newcomers to the program with two true freshmen and one transfer. Drada enters his 17th year as the head coach and his 21st overall in Lexington, and the team recently announced the hiring of Brad Merchant as the assistant coach. The Wildcats return to competition on Oct. 8 at the Vanderbilt Invitational before participating in three additional tournaments during the fall season. The program com- mences the spring season on Jan. 14, 2022, hosting an invitational in Lexington. UK Men's and Women's Tennis Begin 2021-22 Campaigns By Connor Link and Chandler Brandes UK Athletics Communications and Public Relations Gabriel Diallo Fiona Arrese70 @UKFootball UK Sports Network Radio Information Market Call Letters Frequency Ashland, KY WCMI 92.7 FM / 1340 AM Ashland/Greenup, KY WLGC 105.7 FM Benton, KY WCBL 99.1 FM / 1290 AM Bowling Green, KY WGGC 95.1 FM Cadiz, KY WKDZ 106.5 FM / 1110 AM Campbellsville, KY WCKQ 104.1 FM Cincinnati, OH WCKY 1530 AM Columbia, KY WAIN 93.5 FM / 1270 AM Corbin, KY WCTT 107.3 FM / 680 AM Dry Ridge, KY WNKR 106.7 FM Elizabethtown, KY WQXE 98.3 FM Flemingsburg, KY WFLE 95.1 FM Grayson, KY WUGO 99.7 FM Harlan, KY WTUK 105.1 FM Hazard, KY WSGS 101.1 FM Henderson, KY WSON 96.5 FM / 860 AM Hopkinsville, KY WHOP 98.7 FM / 1230 AM Jamestown, KY WJRS 104.9 FM Jenkins, KY WIFX 94.3 FM Lancaster, KY WRNZ 105.1 FM Leitchfield, KY WKHG 104.9 FM Lexington, KY WBUL / WLAP 98.1 FM / 630 AM London, KY WWEL 103.9 FM Louisville, KY WHAS 840 AM Madisonville, KY WKTG 93.9 FM Mayfield, KY WLLE 102.1 FM Maysville, KY WFTM 95.9 FM / 1240 AM Monticello, KY WKYM 101.7 FM Morehead, KY WIVY 96.3 FM Morganfield WMSK 101.3 FM Nashville, TN WPRTHD 102.5 HD Owensboro, KY WBKR / WOMI 92.5 FM / 1490 AM Paducah, KY WKYX 94.3 FM / 570 AM Paintsville, KY WSIP 98.9 FM / 1490 AM Pikeville, KY WDHR / WPKE 93.1 FM / 103.1 FM Pineville, KY WRIL 106.3 FM Prestonsburg, KY WQHY / WDOC 95.5 FM / 1310 AM Providence, KY WWKY 104.9 FM Somerset, KY WSEK 93.9 FM / 910 AM Whitesburg, KY WXKQ / WTCW 103.9 FM / 920 AM Williamsburg, KY WEZJ / WEKX 104.3 FM / 102.7 FM 2021 Schedule Sept. 4 ULM W, 45-10 Sept. 11 Missouri W, 35-28 Sept. 18 Chattanooga W, 28-23 Sept. 25 @South Carolina W, 16-10 Oct. 2 Florida W, 20-13 Oct. 9 LSU 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 @Georgia 3:30 p.m. Oct. 30 @Mississippi State TBA Nov. 6 Tennessee TBA Nov. 13 @Vanderbilt TBA Nov. 20 New Mexico State TBA Nov. 27 @Louisville TBA (Don Franklin Auto Countdown to Kickoff begins 2 hours prior to kickoff} UK HealthCare Mark Stoops Radio Show (Mondays 6-7 pm) August 30, 2021 UK Sports Network September 6, 2021 UK Sports Network September 13, 2021 UK Sports Network September 20, 2021 UK Sports Network September 27, 2021 UK Sports Network October 4, 2021 UK Sports Network October 11, 2021 UK Sports Network October 18, 2021 UK Sports Network October 25, 2021 UK Sports Network November 1, 2021 UK Sports Network November 8, 2021 UK Sports Network November 15, 2021 UK Sports Network November 22, 2021 UK Sports Network November 29, 2021 UK Sports Network@UKSportsNetwork 71 UK Sports Network Television Information Monday – Friday at 7:30 pmSaturday at 9:00 am UKATHLETICS.COM UK SPORTS NETWORK KENTUCKY FOOTBALL @UKSportsNetwork @UKFOOTBALL uk_sportsnetwork UKFOOTBALLThe UK HealthCare Mark Stoops Show Behind Kentucky Football SUBSCRIBE TO PODCASTS TODAY! 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