Jan. 25, 2002
The long-awaited season of team competition is about to begin for Coach Craig Tiley's Illinois men's tennis squad. The Fighting Illini will put their No. 6 national ranking on the line for the first time when they journey to Muncie, Ind. for tomorrow's dual-match opener at No. 75 Ball State.
Though by looking at the rankings one would expect a one-sided match, such an outcome isn't necessarily probable, since the Illini will be without the services of two of its sophomore stalwarts, 23rd-ranked Phil Stolt and Michael Calkins, who, with classmate Amer Delic form the nation's 12th-ranked doubles tandem. Stolt is coming back from an autumn shoulder injury, while Calkins is rehabilitating from pulled quadriceps muscle he sustained last week. Both have been practicing this week and are expected to be ready for duty at the home opener Feb. 2 when the eighth-ranked Pepperdine squad comes to Champaign-Urbana.
Even without Calkins and Stolt, Illinois still presents a formidable lineup. Delic comes into the season with the nation's No. 9 singles ranking, while classmate Brian Wilson checks in at No. 77 and senior Jamal Parker holds down the No. 100 spot. A pair of graybeards, Mike Kosta and Nathan Zeder, headline the UI doubles duos. They enter the season ranked No. 17. Stolt and Wilson are ranked No. 37 coming into the season, but are unlikely to play together tomorrow, due to Stolt's injury.
Exactly what the Illini lineup will look like tomorrow is uncertain. Delic will play No. 1 singles for the Orange and Blue. Wilson, Kosta, Zeder, Parker and freshman Chris Martin should join him on the singles courts at Nos. 2-6, but the order still hasn't been determined.
"It's been a hectic couple of weeks as it always is when guys are coming back for the spring semester and getting organized," said UI Associate Head Coach Bruce Berque. "The players have been working extremely hard and practices have been very competitive. Our trip to Florida earlier this month was very beneficial, as we've seen improvement from everyone. And that's what's important at this time of year."
"Craig (Tiley) and I have not decided yet which players will compete at which positions. The main thing is, it will be good for us to get a dual match under our belts. Ball State always has good teams. They are well-coached and they have some good players," he continued. "This will be a good match for us, as it will reveal some aspects we'll need to work on."
Last year the two teams opened their respective seasons at Illinois, and the then-eighth-ranked Orange and Blue beat the No. 50 Cardinals, 6-1. Ball leads the all-time series, 8-6, but the Illini have won the last five times the two teams have met.
