Jan. 16, 2002
The Illinois women's tennis team opens its spring campaign with a pair of matches at the Atkins Tennis Center Jan. 19, as No. 59 Illinois State and Illinois-Chicago challenge UI Coach Sujay Lama's new-look squad. The Illini take on the Redbirds at 10 a.m., and the Flames tangle with the hosts at 3 p.m.
The Fighting Illini will be without the services of freshman Leila Cehajic, who is still recuperating from a foot/ankle problem, and junior co-captain Michelle Webb, who is near the end of rehab on her left wrist on which she had surgery last fall. Both players are back practicing with the team and are expecting to be cleared for competition some time next month. The other junior co-captain, Eldina Fazlic, underwent surgery on her left shoulder this past August, but is expected to be available for duty Saturday.
Illinois, ranked 29th nationally, will be led by sophomore Jennifer McGaffigan, the No. 51 player in the country, at the No. 1 spot. A pair of sophomores, Eva Choe and Tiffany Eklov, will play at No. 2 and No. 3 (in either order). According to Coach Sujay Lama, the Nos. 4-6 slots are still pretty wide open, and may change from match to match. Freshman Kate Boomershine and brand new player Cynthya Goulet will fill the Nos. 4 and 5 slots (again, in either order) this weekend. If Fazlic is unable to play at No. 6, another newcomer, Elizabeth Fraker, will join the lineup there.
"Many of our players competed over the winter break, and I have been very pleased with our practices so far," said Lama. We have a good base, but we still have a long way to go. We're focused on simply improving. This time of year we're still experimenting with our lineup. We want to get as many matches as possible under our belts, that's why we're playing two matches on Saturday. Also, we think it's good to play some of the in-state schools each season."
Goulet just joined the Illini squad when classes resumed this week. An honor student, she graduated early from high school in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, then concentrated on tennis this past fall. Goulet brings an impressive list of accomplishments in her sport to Illinois. She is No. 98 in singles and No. 80 in doubles according to the Aug., 2001 World Junior Rankings. She has played in such prestigious junior tournaments as the Australian Open and the U.S. Open, in addition to other major ITF events in Europe and South America. Goulet has won five Canadian national junior doubles championships, and has never finished lower than sixth in either singles or doubles at those championships.
"Cynthya is an aggressive baseliner and has a big serve," said Lama, "but what I'm most impressed with is her mental approach to the game. She is very polished, with lots of experience internationally, especially for a 17-year-old player. She is also a top student who will be studying engineering here. So she brings a lot to the table."
Fraker is a junior from Urbana, and has joined the Illini squad as a walk-on. She is a baseliner, as far as singles style is concerned, but she is particularly proficient at doubles, due to her quick hands at the net.
"Liz played high school tennis and qualified for the state tournament," said Lama. She has been at the University for two years, so she doesn't have as must adjusting to do as Cynthya does. Liz is a great individual, a great student, with an excellent work ethic. She just wanted to see how far she could go with tennis. She will definitely contribute to our team this year, and I believe she has a great deal of potential."
