May 27, 2000

Athens, Ga. - In a dazzling display of tennis prowess, the Fighting Illini tandem of senior Cary Franklin and junior Graydon Oliver blasted their way through the semi-finals of the NCAA doubles tournament.

With a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 score over Ole Miss' Vikrant Chadha and James Shortall, the pair secured a berth in tomorrow's NCAA Championship match. This marks the first time in UI tennis history that a team has ever advanced to the finals.

"We feel very confident," said Franklin. "We've felt all year that we were one of the best teams in the country, and now we're having fun. When your confidence is up, and you're playing your best tennis, it's hard to lose."

"I feel good about today, but I can't wait until tomorrow," said the newest member of Illinois' All-American club (Oliver). "We're playing well and the key to our success today is that our emotions were up and we were both going for our shots. We believe."

"Any time that you compete for a national title you have to go out and execute and draw on all your training and practice," said smiling Head Coach Craig Tiley. "If Cary and Graydon do that, then they're going to do well."

Illinois will take on Ryan Moore and Nick Rainey of Southern California for the national title tomorrow at 1 p.m. CDT. Franklin and Oliver have now won 17 consecutive doubles matches, their last loss was back on March 26.