Jan. 20, 2000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Head Coach Sujay Lama and the University of Illinois women's tennis team are chomping at the bit to get the spring season underway.

Illinois starts the season with two foes on Saturday at the Atkins Tennis Center, facing Illinois-Chicago at 9 a.m. and DePaul at 2 p.m. Ranking 40th in the nation in the last ITA rankings, Illinois will be competing as a team for the first time since the end of October. The Illini are looking to carryover the success from last season, which was highlighted with an NCAA regional berth. Also in Lama's first year at the helm, the Fighting Illini produced a 13-11 overall record and a third-place finish of 8-4 in the Big Ten Conference.

"We can't wait," Lama said. "We have been waiting for this weekend. I really feel like our team has prepared well and is excited to compete."

Three Illini netters have an early jump on the rest of the team as they participated in the Milwaukee Classic at Milwaukee, Wis., Jan. 4-9. Freshman Eldina Fazlic, the tournament's fourth seed, reached the semifinals before losing to No. 1 seed Chin Bee Khoo of Arkansas. Fellow freshman Michelle Webb and sophomore Brooke Ferney paired as the classic's third seed and advanced to semifinals. The duo lost to Arkansas' Khoo and Andrea.

Playing No. 1 throughout the fall, Fazlic will lead a youthful Orange and Blue squad into the weekend. With junior Simone Kung sidelined due to injury until the middle of the season, Fazlic will continue to hold down the top spot for the Illini. The freshman began her UI career with a record of 6-5. The combination of Ferney and Webb proved formidable in the fall, going 6-1 en route to being No. 30 in the country. Another freshman cracking the lineup is Natascha Loebnitz, who became eligible at semester.

The veteran leadership comes from junior Carla Rosenberg and seniors Natalia Manasova and Megan Wise. With her consistent play, Rosenberg is prepared to help lead Illinois following a 4-3 fall. Manasova teamed with Fazlic in the fall and won a share of the doubles crown at the Tulane Classic. Wise looks to finish her career on a high note after a fall mark of 5-6. "We are a young team, but we have so much depth," Lama said. "The team is so close (in their talent) that any player on this team can beat anyone on any given day."

Lama's confidence in his team will be needed as Illinois bolsters four of the nation's top 10 teams on its spring schedule, starting with No. 2 Florida Jan. 30. Playing all four of these opponents away from home, the Illini battle No. 4 Duke, No. 6 UCLA and No. 10 USC.

"Our focus is to concentrate on the first match," Lama said. "We must give our hearts, learn something and keep building, and that attitude will help us improve each match.