Oct. 5, 2006

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. ­ - Juniors Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe advanced in the opening round of the Polo Ralph Lauren/ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla., at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center today. Anderson took down Jordan Delass of Georgia Tech in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, while Rowe made the sweep of his opponent, Sergi Vila, a qualifier from Drake, with a strong 6-2, 6-4 victory.

With the wins, No. 9-16-seeded Anderson will face Kaden Hensel of Tennessee, a qualifier, in the second round, while Rowe will take on third-seeded Travis Helgeson of Georgia in the next round. The two Illini will continue singles action at 4:30 p.m. today with their respective second-round matches.

Anderson and Rowe will conclude action at the ITA Championships with their first doubles tilt set to begin at 6:30 p.m. (CST) on the earliest available court. The two will face Joey Atas and Peter Rodrigues of Duke in their opening doubles battle.

For full tournament information, match times and live scoring for the ITA Championships, visit the official championships website at www.itatennis.com, clicking on the Polo Ralph Lauren/ITA All-American Championships link on the right side of the page.

PREVIEWING THE SECOND ROUND MATCHES
Junior Kevin Anderson is currently 4-0 on the season and will be facing junior Kaden Hensel of Tennessee for the first time in his career. Anderson has now made it into the second round of the ITA All-American Championships for the second straight year. In 2005, Anderson fell in the second round to Andrew Hamar of Wake Forest, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Junior Ryan Rowe, who is making his first appearance at the All-American Championships, is entering into the second of an ITA event for the first time in his career. His past experience includes a first-round exit at the ITA Midwest Regional competition in 2005. Rowe is currently 3-1 on the young season heading into the second round. His opponent, ranked fifth nationally and the tournament's No.3 seed, is junior Travis Helgeson of Georgia. The Bulldog, who formerly competed for the University of Texas in 2005, is making his second straight second-round appearance, falling to former Illini Ryler DeHeart in the second of the 2005 championships. The players did not face each other in 2005.

POLO RALPH LAUREN/ITA ALL-AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS CENTRAL
For complete information on scores, draws, live scoring, tournament history and the 2005 final results, visit www.itatennis.com and click on the Polo Ralph Lauren/ITA Tennis Championships link on the right side of the page.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS
First Round: Thursday Oct. 5
No. 9-16 Kevin Anderson (ILL) def. Jordan Delass (GTECH), 6-2, 6-2
Ryan Rowe (ILL) def. Sergi Vila (Drake), 6-2, 6-4

UPCOMING MATCHES
First Round: Thursday Oct. 5
Anderson/Rowe (ILL) vs. Joey Atas/Peter Rodriguez (Duke), 6:30 p.m. (CST)

Second Round: Thursday Oct. 5
No. 9-16-seed Kevin Anderson (ILL) vs. Kaden Hensel (TENN), 4:30 p.m. (CST)
Ryan Rowe (ILL) vs. No. 3-seed Travis Helgeson (Georgia), 4:30 p.m. (CST)