March 10, 2004
The 22nd-ranked Illinois women's tennis team will host two foes from Chicago this Saturday at the UI Atkins Tennis Center. The Illini will kick off the doubleheader by taking on Illinois-Chicago at 11 a.m. before facing DePaul at 4 pm.
The Orange and Blue are coming off a tough, 4-3 loss at Purdue last Sunday to open the Big Ten season.
"We are very disappointed with the Purdue loss," said Head Coach Sujay Lama. "One thing this team has shown, however, is that when they are disappointed, they rebound well; that is what we expect from them. We have had enough of losing and learning. We want to show that we can play well consistently. We can't wait to get out on the courts and play our next match."
Seniors Jennifer McGaffigan and Tiffany Eklov will lead Illinois into battle. McGaffigan, who plays No. 1, is the only ranked singles player for Illinois at No. 33. Eklov has been dominating in the No. 2 position to accumulate an 8-1 record during the dual-match season. In doubles, the Illini boast the No. 11 team in McGaffigan and Junior Cynthya Goulet.
Illinois-Chicago comes into this weekend's match with a 7-4 record. The Flames have one opponent in common with the Illini. UIC fell to Marquette, 6-1, in their season opener, whereas, the Illini, in their first match, earned a 6-1 victory over the Golden Eagles. The Fighting Illini lead the Flames, 4-0, in their all-time series.
DePaul comes in to this weekend's competition with an 11-5 record. The Blue Demons have three opponents in common with the Orange and Blue so far this season. They lost to Purdue earlier this season and defeated Western Michigan, just as Illinois has done. The Blue Demons fell, 4-3, to Illinois State in late January, in contrast to Illinois' 7-0 thrashing of ISU in the second UI match of the season. Illinois hopes to even the all-time record against DePaul at 1-1 with a victory over the Blue Demons on Saturday.
While neither opponent is dominant on paper, the Illini know they can't overlook anyone.
"Both matches are going to be tough," said Lama. "They both have great players. We can't afford to take anyone lightly. Teams know that if they beat us, it is a good win. We have to focus on ourselves and be ready to compete."
