April 7, 2004
The Illinois women's tennis team has a seven-match winning streak and first place in the Big Ten on the line as it travels to State College, Pa. For a Saturday contest with Penn State and then to Columbus, Ohio for a Sunday match with Ohio State. The Orange and Blue is coming off an impressive four-match home stand that included wins over conference foes Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern. In their most recent match, the Illini knocked off Northwestern, ranked No. 7 then, 4-3. One of the net results was a jump of seven spots in the national rankings to No. 17.
The Illini women are currently on pace to have their winningest season in Coach Sujay Lama's tenure. With their current 13-3 mark (4-1 in the Big Ten, tied with Michigan and Iowa for first place), they are four wins shy of matching Lama's career high of 17 set last season.
A number of individual Illinois records are also in jeopardy this spring. Senior Jennifer McGaffigan is already atop the Illini career doubles wins list with 100. She is also moving closer to overtaking the top spot for career singles wins. She currently has 99 career singles victories, just four behind Lindsay Nimmo's record of 103 set from 1990-93. Classmate Tiffany Eklov is also moving up on that same list. She currently is in a three-way tie for third place in terms of career singles triumphs.
McGaffigan is Illinois' only ranked singles player at No. 34. Eklov remains on a roll, having compiled a 14-2 singles record this spring, including a dominating 6-0, 6-3 win last Sunday over then-No. 38 Jessica Rush of Northwestern. The Illini also boast an impressive doubles lineup that includes the No. 10 team in McGaffigan and Cynthya Goulet, who last Sunday had a convincing 8-3 win over the then-2nd-ranked Wildcat duo of Rush and Cristelle Grier.
Penn State currently has no ranked singles or doubles players. The Nittany Lions currently have a 6-10 record and an 0-4 Big Ten ledger. They have had one opponent in common with the Illini this season, Wake Forest. Penn State fell to Wake 5-2, whereas the Illini beat the Demon Deacons, 4-3.
Ohio State is currently ranked No. 65 with a 7-9 overall record and 2-2 conference mark. The Buckeyes have one ranked singles player in No. 98 Lindsay Williams. The Buckeyes have had several opponents in common with Illinois so far this season. Both teams have played and lost to Tennessee. The Buckeyes have also fallen to Notre Dame and Wake Forest, two teams the Illini have beaten.
"This is an important trip for us," said Lama. "The travel aspect can be taxing, so we have to be smart in how we prepare. In particular, Penn State has been struggling, but they are a capable team. And we have had some great matches the last few years with Ohio State-it's a strong rivalry. After that loss at Purdue a month ago, our players know how important it is to focus and not overlook any opponent. It's critical that we take a very disciplined approach, paying attention to detail in our preparations, and not dwell on what our opponents might do. We have had success so far doing things this way, so this is no time to change."
The Illini will take on Penn State with action beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday; they will then face Ohio State on Sunday beginning at 11 am. All times are CDT.
