April 3, 2008

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois women's tennis team returns to the road for a stretch of four matches in its next Big Ten outings. Coming up this weekend, the Illini take on No. 22 Michigan on April 4 in Ann Arbor, Mich., at 6 p.m. CT, while it finishes its weekend against Penn State in University Park, Pa., on April 6 at 11 a.m. CT. Illinois does not return home until April 19-20, when it hosts Senior Weekend for seniors Momei Qu and Alejandra Meza Cuadra, with Minnesota (April 19) and Iowa (April 20) both in town for the match festivities.

"We are at a pivotal point in our season," head coach Michelle Dasso said. "Since the end of last year, our goal has been to make the NCAA team tournament. In order to do so, we have to the end the season ranked just outside the top 40. Nothing would make me happier than for this particular team to come together, achieve the goal they have worked so hard for and continue this season in tournament play. In order to do so, though, the next three weekends we are going to have to step up, play competitive and fearless tennis and treat every match like it is the last of our season."

The Illini (7-7, 3-1 Big Ten) are coming off a 1-1 weekend in Big Ten action, extending their league win streak to three before losing to top-ranked Northwestern at home on Sunday in a match that the score did not indicate how hard the Orange and Blue fought against the best in the country. Michigan (10-4, 3-1 Big Ten) is gong to be a tough opponent, as they are 5-0 at home the season and are riding an eight-match win streak. As for Penn State (7-8, 1-3 Big Ten), they have lost two straight matches coming into the weekend and face Purdue before hosting the Illini on Sunday.

Live scoring is available for Illinois' match against Michigan, while its match against Penn State will not feature the amenity (Penn State does not have live scoring capability). Full recaps of both matches will be available at the conclusion of each day's action as well. Both features can be found on the official home of Illinois women's tennis, fightingillini.com, by clicking on the women's tennis home page for recaps and the schedule page (under the schedule link) for live scoring.

STATE OF THE ILLINI
Illinois is led by the efforts of sophomore Megan Fudge, who leads the team in wins with an overall record of 16-10, and redshirt freshman Leigh Finnegan (7-11), who hold down the Nos. 1 and 2 singles spot, interchangeably, for the Orange and Blue. Senior Momei Qu trails Fudge with a total of 14 wins on the season, followed by junior Shivani Davé and freshmen Marisa Lambropoulos and Kristina Minor, with 13 wins each.

In doubles, Illinois most recently shook up its lineup against Michigan State, Wisconsin and Northwestern, displaying all new doubles teams at all three slots. The move turned out to be pivotal against Michigan State, as it helped clinch the doubles point and was the deciding factor in the 4-3 win. Illinois lost the doubles point against Wisconsin and Northwestern, but dominated singles against the Badgers, winning at all six spots to win 6-1.

Playing at No. 1 for three matches this season is Davé and Fudge, followed by Finnegan and Lambropoulos at No. 2 and Minor and sophomore transfer Christine Stromberg on court three. Davé/Fudge (2-1) and Finnegan/Lambropoulos (1-2) both came out victorious in their first trio of duals as tandems.

MORE ON THE WOLVERINES
Michigan has posted a number of upsets over the course of its season and enters the match against the Illini 10-4 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten action. Their most notable wins, which helped propel them into the top 25, included taking down No. 12 Notre Dame (4-3) and No. 21 Tennessee (4-3). On top of that, the Wolverines, after suffering an early Big Ten setback to No. 1 Northwestern (5-2), have since won eight straight and is a perfect 5-0 at home in 2008. U-M also has dropped just one of 48 singles matches dating back to Feb. 22 of this year.

Leading the Maize and Blue on the singles courts is No. 46 Chisako Sugiyama and No. 105 Tania Mahtani, who take care of the duties and Nos. 1 and 4 singles, respectively. Mahtani and Sugiyama then make up the No. 56-ranked tandem in the country, enter the weekend having won 10 of their last 14, including six straight, all at No. 1 doubles.

Michigan comes into the series having won the last three straight since 2005, with Illinois' last victory over the Wolverines coming on April 17, 2004, when it took down then No. 27 Michigan, 5-2, as the No. 17-ranked team in the country. Overall, Michigan leads the series history by a record of 20-11 in a rivalry that started during the 1980-81 season.

TAKING ON THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State had a two-match win streak going before they dropped back-to-back matches on the road to Minnesota and ranked Iowa last weekend. Overall the Nittany Lions have been much like a roller coaster all season long, as they lost their opening dual of the season before dropping five straight, followed by winning four straight to end the skid. Since, the Nittany Lions have won just two of their last five matches heading into the Big Ten weekend. PSU's only conference win in 2008 came over Wisconsin, 4-3.

The Nittany Lions are a very young team with only one senior on the roster to four underclassmen. The lineup does, however, have a heavy favorite of juniors, three to be exact. So far, three different Nittany Lions have reached double-digit wins, with Jenny Shular leading all PSU netters with 12, playing at Nos. 1-3 singles. Katelyn BeVard holds down the No. 1 position for the Nittany Lions for the most part, with a 5-7 mark at the top slot and a 6-9 record overall.

When it comes to the series between the two teams, is has been all Illinois since the two first met in 1991-92. Illinois leads the overall history, 15-2, with Penn State collecting those wins in 1997 and 2007. Before Illinois lost last years affair, 4-3, they had won nine straight between 1998-2006.

DAVÉ AND MINOR STEALING THE SHOW
Junior Shivani Davé and sophomore Kristina Minor have been crucial for the Illini in their seven wins this season, with both of them charting clinching singles wins with three and four, respectively. Davé, who is tied for third on the team in match victories at 13, has pulled out her best tennis when it counted. So far, Davé has clinched the match for Illinois in its season-opener against Florida Atlantic (7-0), against Kansas (5-2) and in UI's Big Ten opening triumph over Purdue (4-3). All three match clinchers came while Davé was playing in the No. 4 slot.

Minor has been just as pivotal in her matches, with her four match clinchers coming against Marquette (5-2) at No. 4 singles, against No. 60 DePaul (6-1), Michigan State (4-3) and Wisconsin (6-1), with all of those wins coming at No. 6 singles. The two Orange and Blue netters are the only Illini to clinch a match in 2008.

RIDING HIGH IN THE BIG TEN
Illinois has strung together some impressive tennis under head coach Michelle Dasso's leadership in her second year at the helm. After a roller coaster year last season in which the Illini battled through injuries, faced 12 ranked teams that included four in the top 10 and worked with a young lineup that was headed by two freshman a sophomore and only one senior, the Illini are reaping the benefits in 2008 from those trials.

So far, Illinois has used that experience to put together a 3-1 mark in Big Ten play this season and looks to extend that against conference foes Michigan, who is 3-1 as well, before finishing the weekend against Penn State, who is struggling in league action at 1-3.

FUDGE NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Megan Fudge was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 11, announced the conference office. Fudge is the first Illini women's tennis athlete to garner the accolade since Macall Harkins on April 19, 2006.

ILLINI EARN NATIONAL RANKING
The Illinois women's tennis team entered the polls after an upset of No. 60 DePaul on Feb. 8, debuting at No. 68 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) tennis rankings on Feb. 12 and have since reached a season-high No. 61 (March 10). The Illini have dropped only one match this season to a team ranked lower than themselves entering a match and now boast a 62nd-place ranking in the most recent poll on April 2.

The No. 68 ranking at the beginning of the season was the first time the Illini have appeared in the ITA polls since March 28, 2006, when they came in at No. 70. Illinois' highest ranking in program history came on April 24, 2004, when the Illini were tabbed No. 16 before losing to then No. 23 Indiana (4-3) to fall back out of the top 20 the following week.

ILLINI RECORD BY POSITION
Winning at No. 1 Singles 5-2
Losing at No. 1 Singles 2-5
Winning at No. 2 Singles 6-1
Losing at No. 2 Singles 1-6
Winning at No. 3 Singles 4-0
Losing at No. 3 Singles 3-7
Winning at No. 4 Singles 5-2
Losing at No. 4 Singles 2-5
Winning at No. 5 Singles 7-4
Losing at No. 5 Singles 0-3
Winning at No. 6 Singles 7-2
Losing at No. 6 Singles 0-5

UP NEXT
This weekend involves two of the four Illinois road matches that the Illini have on tap for the next two weeks. After traveling to Michigan and Pennsylvania, Illinois then takes to Bloomington, Ind., where they will face Indiana on Saturday, April 12, before traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State on Sunday, April 13. Illinois does not return home until April 19-20, when it hosts Senior Weekend for seniors Momei Qu and Alejandra Meza Cuadra, with Minnesota (April 19) and Iowa (April 20) both in town for the match festivities.