Most team travel involves airplanes. The Illini men's tennis team took a plane out of Bloomington, Ill. last Tuesday afternoon to arrive in Tulsa, Okla. about an hour west of their destination of Stillwater. One would think the next plane the team would be on is for the trip back to Illinois. The Orange and Blue had different plans. The next form of air transportation only flew up to 14,000 feet and the Illini jumped out of it (with parachutes and certified instructors, everyone calm down).
So, why did a men's tennis team decide to jump out of an airplane between a sweep of the Drake Bulldogs and a match with the No. 10 Oklahoma State Cowboys? Luke Siegel.
Former Texas Tech men's tennis head coach Tim Siegel's son, Luke, was involved in an accident in the summer of 2015 that resulted in a six-month hospital stay. Coach Siegel had recently (19 days prior) retired from his position with Texas Tech to spend more time with his family. In January of 2017, Coach Siegel launched the Team Luke Foundation. The mission of the foundation was to provide support for families with children who have suffered an anoxic or traumatic brain injury. Since the launch of the Team Luke Foundation, the tennis community has rallied around the country and world in support of this cause. To learn more about Coach Siegel's story, watch the feature below from the ITA.
Fast forward to Friday afternoon. Illinois has just swept the Drake Bulldogs to advance to the NCAA Second Round in Stillwater, Okla. The Illini freshmen were instrumental in the match and propelled the team into the next day's match against the No. 10-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. Post match usually involves some light hitting, food and rest for the next contest in 24 hours. The Illini coaching staff had a different idea: skydiving.
Fast forward to Saturday afternoon at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
Illinois has been down 3-0 to the Cowboys for 45 minutes, but a comeback is brewing...
Aron Hiltzik blanks OSU's Kadhe, 6-0 in the third set. 3-1.
Ten minutes later, Aleks Vukic hits a huge forehand to win a gritty match with No. 26 Cash, 7-4 in a second set tiebreak. 3-2.
Simultaneously, Zeke Clark hits a winner on court five to take a 10-8 tiebreak and the match. 3-3. The match is tied.
The match is down to the Illini freshman Aleks Kovacevic serving for the match on court four at 5-0. The team watches from court two as the New York native hits a hard serve that Dubinski cannot return. Illinois punches its ticket to Athens, Ga. for the NCAA Round of 16 in comeback fashion.
"After I saw Zeke clinch, I got really tight, but we went skydiving yesterday and I have never been that tight in my life. That helped me through the match, so thanks to coach for making that happen and it was a great match. Two of the best experiences in my life have happened in the past day and a half." - Aleks Kovacevic
Illinois will take on the TCU Horned Frogs in the NCAA Round of 16 on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. The Illini dropped a 5-2 decision to the Horned Frogs earlier this season.
