Oct. 23, 2002
The Illinois men's tennis squad is out to prove that it is still the top team in the Midwest when its players compete Thursday-Tuesday, Oct. 24-29 at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional in Madison, Wis.
The Fighting Illini, ranked No. 1 in the region throughout last season, dominated last year's tournament held in East Lansing, Mich., as Amer Delic and Michael Calkins won the doubles title and Delic reached the singles championship match but had to withdraw due to a hand injury. Ironically, Delic won't be able to go after that title again, as Coach Craig Tiley is holding him out (sore arm) as a precautionary measure. Delic, who is ranked sixth in the nation, has had a particularly challenging fall, having faced a number of tough opponents. He is 8-3 on the season in singles, including a split of two matches against professionals in last weekend's San Antonio Challenger qualifying tournament; Delic is 7-0 this fall in doubles.
Illinois will still send a formidable lineup to the regional. In addition to capable sophomores Conner Murnighan and Evan Zeder, who will compete in qualifying rounds starting tomorrow, the Fighting Illini will have a strong contingent of players who have earned berths in the main draw of 64: three juniors--No. 25 Brian Wilson (5-2 in singles this fall), No. 44 Phil Stolt (5-1) and No. 52 Michael Calkins (3-1); sophomore--No. 88 Chris Martin (1-2); and freshmen--Ryler DeHeart (7-1) and Pramod Dabir (3-2).
There will be no qualifying rounds for doubles at Madison, just a 64-duo bracket. Four of those doubles tandems will be from Illinois: No. 44 Stolt/Wilson, Martin/DeHeart, Zeder/Alex Hobson and Dabir/Murnighan.
"Traditionally, we've done well at regionals," said Tiley, "but the pressure will definitely be on our team. This tournament will definitely be a test for us; it's four days of tough tennis. It's important that we stay healthy and in the proper frame of mind."
Complete tournament results can be followed on the internet at www.uwbadgers.com, with Fighting Illini results and stories available at www.fightingillini.com.
