Feb. 27, 2003

Illinois' 25th-ranked women's tennis team hosts No. 50 Wake Forest Sunday at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana. The match had originally been scheduled for 10 a.m., but will now begin at 9:30 a.m. because of an Illinois men's match Sunday afternoon.

Illinois, 6-3, jumped twenty-four spots in the newest ITA team rankings which were released Wednesday. The ranking is the Illini's highest since March 16, 2001 when they were No. 23. The latest jump comes after last Sunday's upset win over then-No. 1 Duke.

Illinois boasts the nation's No. 15 doubles tandem in junior Jennifer McGaffigan and senior Michelle Webb. The Illini are led in singles by McGaffigan at No. 62, junior Tiffany Eklov at No. 121 and freshman Brianna Knue, who debuts at No. 123.

"We enjoyed our Duke win, but by Tuesday it was history," Head Coach Sujay Lama said. "We are not going to live off of our past matches. Wake Forest was a pre-season top-15 team. They have a lot of talent, but we're going to approach this match the same as any other. We're a blue-collar team. Our preparation, hustle and fight are what make us a good team."

"Right now our confidence is high. The women want more, they are not complacent with what they've accomplished. We haven't gotten much respect before so we're going to go out and continue to earn it."

Wake Forest, 1-7 on the year, is coming off a 5-2 defeat at the hands of then-No. 12 William and Mary. The Demon Deacons began the season ranked No. 13, but have suffered six losses in a row. No. 65 Katie Martzoff and No. 98 Karin Coetzee lead the Deacons in singles.

The all-time series is tied at 1-1, with Wake Forest winning last years' contest 5-2 in Winston-Salem, N.C.