First Serve: Illinois Set for Rematch with TCU in NCAA Round of 16
The No. 25 Illinois Fighting Illini men's tennis team will take on the TCU Horned Frogs on Thursday in the NCAA Round of 16. First serve from the championships site in Athens, Ga. is set for 11 a.m. CT at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The Illini are now 46-20 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches and hold a 6-8 record in NCAA Round of 16 contests entering Thursday's match. The Illini have never faced the Horned Frogs in postseason play. Illinois is the only unseeded team left in the NCAA Tournament field.
A Sweep and Gritty Comeback Propel Illinois to NCAA Round of 16
Illinois advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time since 2015 with two wins in Stillwater, Okla. over the weekend. On Friday, the Illini freshmen propelled UI to a sweep of the Drake Bulldogs. After clinching the doubles point, Gui Gomes, Noe Khlif and Aleks Kovacevic, earned singles wins to seal a sweep of Drake. On Saturday, Illinois fell behind 3-0 after the doubles point and two singles courts. However, the Illini were relentless and Aron Hiltzik began the UI comeback with a three-set win on two. Aleks Vukic would follow with a gritty straight-set win on court one that needed two tiebreaks to complete. Almost simultaneously, Zeke Clark sealed a win by way of another tiebreak on five. The match came down to Kovacevic serving for the match at 5-0 in the third set. A strong serve from the freshman and the 4-3 match was clinched.
Illinois at the NCAA Championships
• 2017 marks the 22nd appearance for the Fighting Illini in the NCAA Championships. The Illini boast a record of 44-20 in NCAA tournament play, highlighted by a 2003 NCAA National Championship.
• In 2016, the Orange and Blue went 1-1 in NCAA play, defeating the Western Michigan Broncos, but falling to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the NCAA Second Round.
• Illinois has won one NCAA Team Championship in 2003 after defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores, 4-3 in Athens, Ga. The 2003 team completed the highly-coveted NCAA 'Triple Crown' by winning the team championship as well as the singles and doubles individual championships.
The Championship Site
• The 2017 NCAA Championships returns to the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. Hosted by the University of Georgia, 2017 will mark the fifth time Athens, Ga. has played host for the NCAA tennis championships.
• The men's NCAA Round of 16 will commence in Athens on Thursday, May 17 and run through the individual championships on May 29.
Hiltzik, Vukic Selected for NCAA Individual Singles Championships
Aron Hiltzik and Aleks Vukic will represent the Orange and Blue at the 2017 NCAA Men's Tennis Individual Championships that commence on May 24 in Athens, Ga. Illinois has won four NCAA Individual titles in program. The lone singles championship came in 2003, when Amer Delic defeated Baylor's Benedikt Dorsch, 6-4, 6-3 to claim the title in Athens, Ga.
Vukic Earns B1G Athlete of Year, Hiltzik Adds All-Big Ten Conference Honors
Vukic was named the Big Ten Athlete of Year on April 27 to add to his already impressive resume this season. Vukic is the first Illini player to earn the honor since Farris Gosea won the award in 2014. Along with the Player of the Year award, Vukic and Hiltzik were named to the First-Team All-Big Ten list. The duo were unanimous selections for the First Team, which is voted on by the league coaches.
