Dec. 20, 2000

Champaign, IL-The University of Illinois men's and women's tennis programs had a lot to be happy about as the fall 2000 national rankings were released last week.

The No. 8 ranked Orange and Blue men claimed three of the top 11 doubles ratings, an unprecedented and impressive accomplishment for Craig Tiley's squad. Juniors Mike Kosta and Nathan Zeder hold the highest spot, at No. 7. NCAA doubles champion Graydon Oliver made his senior season debut ranked No. 9 with freshman Amer Delic. Following closely on the heels of their teammates is the freshman duo of Philip Stolt and Brian Wilson, at No. 11.

In singles, the men also placed three players in the Top 100. Stolt is at the head of the list, earning the No. 35 position. Next in line is Oliver, at No. 65, and the trio is completed with Wilson holding the No. 90 spot. The Illini men also maintained their grip on the No. 1 regional rating. "The preseason rankings are about what we expected, based on what we have done so far," said Associate Head Coach Bruce Berque. "We're very proud of the accomplishments of our players, it's a significant and unique achievement to have three doubles teams among the top eleven in the country. By the end of the season, we hope to have an even more significant national presence."

The Illinois women enter the season ranked 33rd, up one spot from their national rank at the end of the 1999-2000 season. Since he joined the Illini three years ago, Head Coach Sujay Lama has brought the program from No. 75 in the nation to their newest and highest preseason ranking.

"In the last two years we've improved significantly", said Lama. "Now we're in a position to take that next step- to be a consistent Top-20 program."

The regular season for both teams begins in January. Results can be found and followed on www.fightingillini.com