April 21, 2005
The Illinois women's tennis team (11-9, 5-3) is down to its last weekend of regular-season competition and knows Saturday's match against No. 49 Iowa is particularly critical just ahead of next week's Big Ten Tournament.
The Hawkeyes (12-7, 6-2) have won three of their last four matches, and are tied with Indiana for second place, just ahead of Illinois and Michigan, who are tied for third.
"Iowa is a scrappy team," Illinois Head Coach Sujay Lama said. "They're very young, like we are, and they have a new coach this year. I think this match Saturday will probably go down to the wire."
Wisconsin (6-5) trails Iowa and Indiana by three matches in the loss column. Purdue (4-4) is two back in what is mostly a tight race for second place. The Boilermakers host Iowa Sunday. The Northwestern Wildcats (9-0), last Sunday's Illini opponent, are ranked second in the country with a 20-2 overall record.
Like No. 50 Illinois, the Hawkeyes shut out Marquette, 7-0, early in the season. Iowa also lost to then-No. 20 Notre Dame in February, whereas the Illini fell, 4-3, to the then-No. 26 Irish at the Atkins Tennis Center April 13.
No Iowa players placed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) latest singles and doubles rankings, but last fall, Illini sophomore Emily Wang defeated sophomore Meg Racette 6-4, 6-3, in an Oct. 23 ITA Midwest Regional contest. Racette, ranked 79th at the time, also lost to Brianna Knue and Macall Harkins, 8-4, at the Regional when she was paired with Hillary Mintz.
This year's Senior Day opponent, Minnesota (6-12, 1-7), is at the bottom of the Big Ten with Penn State but should not be brushed off, Lama said.
"Minnesota's record may not be as good, but no Big Ten team is easy to beat. Our players know that we can't afford to overlook anyone or take wins for granted."
The Gophers defeated Penn State Sunday for their first conference victory this season. The Maroon and Gold has one ranked player in its lineup, No. 91 Nischela Reddy.
Prior to the Illinois-Minnesota match, UI seniors Cynthya Goulet and Leila Cehajic will be honored. Lama says the two players have been valuable assets for the program.
"Senior Day will be emotional, with it being the last home match for Cynthya and Leila. Even though injuries have prevented Leila from playing much, she has made a huge contribution to our program. She is like a third coach out on the court. Leila has also shown great leadership off the court."
Goulet (26-6) could share seventh place on the Orange and Blue's single-season victories list if she wins twice this weekend. One victory would put her in a three-way tie for ninth place. Goulet is currently ranked No. 34 in singles by the ITA, two spots higher than ever before. Last weekend, the senior dropped a 6-3, 7-6(1) decision to No. 3 Audra Cohen. It was Goulet's first defeat since Feb. 26 when she dropped a 6-3, 6-4 match to then No. 5 Dea Sumantri of Washington, and her first Big Ten loss in two seasons.
"Cynthya is one of the best players in college tennis today; she's clearly the best player I have had in my seven years at Illinois. It's a treat to watch her play," Lama said. "She's a very good athlete, and she has a complete game. At the same time, she's an unbelievable student. So she'll have lots of options when she finishes school."
Goulet and sophomore Emily Wang, who compete at No. 1 doubles for the Illini, returned to the national rankings for the first time since March 5 when the duo held the No. 58 ranking, this time jumping back in at No. 54.
Though Knue and Harkins are unranked, the duo (27-7) ranks in a tie for sixth on the UI single-season doubles list. Two weekend wins would propel the No. 2 pair into a tie for fourth place.
As the season concludes, freshman Momei Qu (9-13) headlines the list of Illini rookies. Qu, after a 7-10 start, won 12 of 14 before she lost to Northwestern's No. 69 Alexis Prousis. Prousis was the fourth ranked player Qu faced this season.
The Portland, Ore. native's hot streak is among the best ever by an Illinois freshman. Brooke Ferney won 13 out of 15 in the middle of the lineup at the end of the 1998-1999 regular season. More recently, Knue won six consecutive matches to start her freshman year, before later winning five straight and six of eight to finish the 2002-2003 with a 22-14 record.
Finally, Lama could finish the regular season with a milestone either Saturday or Sunday. One victory would give the coach 100 victories in his seven years at Illinois. Lama already heads the career winning percentage list at 60 percent.
Fans attending Sunday's match will be treated to free hot dogs, chips and lemonade as part of the Senior Day festivities.
