Feb.5 , 2004

After a 3-0 start and two top 25 victories, the Fighting Illini men's tennis team will take their 35 match winning streak (dating from the start last season), into the ITA National Team Indoor Championships (USTA/ITA), in Seattle, Wash., hosted by the University of Washington this week Feb. 5-8. The Illini will be defending their 2003 indoor championship in which they beat Florida, 4-2. After last year's title the Illini moved into the No. 1 ranking, which they have not lost since.

Last season the Illini ended the state of California's dominance at this event by winning the title. UCLA and Stanford had won every USTA/ITA men's title since 1990, and a school from the state of California had won every title since 1983. If Illinois is able to defend its title, it will be the fifth team in history to accomplish the feat. The last time the achievement was accomplished was in 1997 when UCLA was crowned back-to-back champions. The winner of the ITA National Indoor Championship has gone on to win the NCAA Championship nine times, including the Fighting Illini last year.

"This is an event we have always done well in," said Head Coach Craig Tiley. "If we do well, it will certainly give us confidence for the rest of the year."

All eight quarterfinalists are back from last year's indoor championships, which include (rankings for 2004) No. 1 Illinois No. 2 Baylor, No. 3 Florida, No. 5 Stanford, No. 6 UCLA, No. 8 Duke, No. 9 Texas A&M, and No. 12 California. The tournament will also boast 46 of the top 100 singles players in the country including four from Illinois, No. 39 Michael Calkins, No. 47 Chris Martin, No. 65 Ryler DeHeart, and No. 74 Pramod Dabir.

The USTA/ITA began in 1973 with the University of Wisconsin hosting the first event. Since 1985 the University of Louisville (16 times) and the University of Washington (twice) have hosted the event. The last time the event was held in Seattle, the Orange and Blue upset No. 1 Stanford to break their 45 match winning streak. Next year, the University of Illinois will host the ITA National Indoor Championships in Chicago.

The Illini first competed in the USTA/ITA in 1997 went they took fifth place. In their six appearances since, they have finished second three times (02, 99, 98) and first once (03). In this tournament they boast an overall record of 17-8, and a 9-6 record versus opponents ranked higher than them. The Illini have done especially well in the first round, amassing a record of 5-2. One of the more impressive stats for the Illini is that in this event they have gone 2-1 against the No. 1 team in the nation.

"It is important that we have proven ourselves in these situations, to show that we can get it done," said Tiley. "It is a new team, and they will face new experiences. The experience that some of the guys have will be very important."

The Illini will open the tournament on Thursday at 11 a.m. (PT) against No. 48 Tulsa (4-2). This is the first appearance for Tulsa at the USTA/ITA. Tulsa has two ranked players on their roster, No. 57 Alejandro Tejerina and No. 93 Dustin Taylor. Taylor brings into the tournament an impressive resume from the early spring season with wins over No. 8 Michael Kogan of Tulane and No. 14 Chad Harris from Vanderbilt.

"We can't come out and assume it will be easy and take them (Tulsa) lightly," said Tiley. "We are going to have to come out and fight hard."

If the Illini advance to the second round, a rematch with No. 9 Texas A&M could be on their plate. Two weeks ago the Illini escaped with a 4-3 victory over the Aggies. This past weekend A&M was defeated by No. 8 Duke 5-2, who they will face in their first round match up. In the third round the Illini could have a potential rematch with Vanderbilt, who the Orange and Blue defeated 4-3 to capture the NCAA Championship last May.

"It is a tough bracket," continued Tiley. "Generally all the teams in the tournament are very good. We had a tough match with A&M, and Duke beat them. However, we first need to win our first round match before we even worry about other matches.

The first round match-ups, seeds, locations and times are posted below. Results of all the Illini matches can be found on www.fightingillini.com. For complete bracket information and up-dates on all teams throughout the tournament visit www.itatennis.com or www.gohuskies.com.

Top Half (all times pacific) (1) Illinois vs. (16) Tulsa, 11 a.m. - Lloyd Nordstrom Tennis Center (8) Duke vs. (9) Texas A&M, 11 a.m. - Seattle Tennis Club (4) Vanderbilt vs. (12) California, 8 a.m. - Nordstrom TC (5) Stanford vs. (13) Texas, 8 a.m. - Seattle TC

Bottom Half (all times pacific) (10) Kentucky vs. (6) UCLA, 2 p.m. - Seattle TC (14) Harvard vs. (3) Florida, 2 p.m. - Nordstrom TC (11) Washington vs. (7) Mississippi, 5 p.m. - Nordstrom TC (15) Boise State vs. (2) Baylor, 5 p.m. - Seattle TC