Jan. 12, 2009
Coming off of its first NCAA tournament appearance in four years, the 2008-09 Illinois squad is hungry for even more this year. The Illini have set high expectations for the upcoming season, as they look for their first NCAA tournament win since 2003.
"Obviously last year was huge for us because we made a name for ourselves," head coach Michelle Dasso said. "I think this year we will have a target on our backs and we need to be prepared for that challenge. All along last year our goal was to qualify for the NCAA tournament and it was such a special, sweet feeling for our team when we fulfilled that goal. This year we have committed ourselves to not only return to the NCAA tournament, but winning at least our first round."
Last season, the Illini broke into the national rankings for the first time since 2006 after upending No. 60 DePaul in a convincing 6-1 fashion on Feb. 8, 2008. From that point forward the Orange and Blue continued to climb in the rankings, finishing the 2007-08 season No. 37 in the final ITA poll, their highest finish in the rankings in four years.
The Illini look to continue their move to the top this season. Since their tournament appearance, the Illini have focused on different areas where they can improve, including conditioning.
"Conditioning has been our main focus since the end of last season," Dasso noted. "We had some great teams to compare ourselves to at the Georgia Tech regional. We knew conditioning was an area we needed to make a huge effort and commitment to and the girls have done that. The girls are in the best condition they've ever been in since they've been here."
Another area of focus for the Orange and Blue has been the importance of solid doubles play. During the summer months, sophomores Annie McCarthy and Marisa Lambropoulos teamed up to take the doubles title at the ITA Summer Circuit Tournament in Indiana, proving the hard work and focus had already started to pay off.
The Orange and Blue have added a couple fresh faces that look to make an immediate impact in the doubles lineup this year with freshman Amy Allin and Chelcie Abajian. Allin is no stranger to the tennis community as her grandfather Tut Bartzen, played professional tennis and coached at TCU from 1972-98.
"Both freshmen have great natural instincts in doubles," Dasso added. "This is going to make a huge impact for us after we had a bit of a struggle last year in that area."
In the singles lineup, the Illini will once again look to junior Megan Fudge to pave the way. After capturing her second consecutive 20-win season and unanimous All-Big Ten honors in 2008, the Kaarst, Germany, native looks to continue her winning ways in 2009.
"Megan's been our leader on and off the court through her work effort since the day she came to Illinois," Dasso said. "Now that she is an upperclassman, we are really looking to her to continue to show that kind of leadership. Her feistiness, work effort and her ability to get everyone fired up for matches is a huge asset. You can't overlook the intangible assests she brings to this team."
Lone senior Shivani Davé will provide invaluable leadership skills to the younger Illini both on and off the court.
"This is Shivani's senior year and her competitiveness is one of her biggest assets," Dasso said. "When she steps on the court she always thinks she should win. That's the type of attitude you need to succeed and that is one of the biggest strengths that Shivani shows. Her attitude and the unspoken confidence she has on the court when she plays anyone is something that I hope trickles down to the other girls, especially the freshmen."
While the young Illini may not yet exhibit the same confidence the veteran Davé has, they do increase the fresh talent level of the 2009 squad.
"Amy is the first lefty I've had on the team so it's always good to practice against," Dasso said. "We are working on using that leftyness to her full advantage, improving her consistency from the baseline and gaining confidence at the net. There's no question in my mind that she will improve because she has the desire and willingness to do whatever it takes to become better.
"Chelcie is the type of player who finds a way to win. It comes pretty naturally to her. She has an extremely good court sense, moves the ball around well and dictates play with her aggressive style of play. When Chelcie steps out on the court she believes she should beat her opponent. This attitude is what makes her such a strong competitor."
The 2008-09 Illini squad exhibit a solid blend of youth and experience that is developing strong team chemistry.
"The team chemistry is incredible this year," Dasso added. "This is one of the single best team chemistries that I've ever been apart of. That alone takes you incredibly far in college tennis. The girls are motivated not just for themselves but also for each other. They respect each other and there is respect among the coaching staff as well. I think when you create that type of environment, so many positive things can happen. At each practice, everyone is working as hard as they can andthat is how maximum improvement is made. If everyone can keep that attitude and pick each other up, that's when you are going to get the most out of your student-athletes. The key is finding is the right balance of keeping it lively and fun. One thing for certain is that laughter is not absent from this team."
The women's tennis team is definitely excited to be back at home more this spring. After finishing in the top five for average attendance in the inaugural ITA
attendance poll, the Illini will treat fans to 10 home dual matches this season.
"We are really looking forward to having more home matches this season," Dasso said. The girls love playing in front of our crowd, and the support that the fans give us is what makes Illinois so special."
The Orange and Blue begin the spring slate with the Florida Gulf Coast Hidden Duals Jan. 17-19, in Fort Myers, Fla. The Illini open their home season as they welcome Tennessee (1/24) and Miami of Ohio (1/25) to the Atkins Tennis Center.
The Illini hit the road again traveling to Palo Alto, Calif., for a pair of matches before returning home for triple header against Kansas (2/6), UIC (2/8) and Illinois State (2/8).
The Illini open the Big Ten season in front of the home crowd on March 7 in a border battle with Indiana. From there the Orange and Blue hit the road for a trio of conference matches against Purdue (3/8), Northwestern (3/13) and Wisconsin (3/15).
In late March for their annual spring break trip, the Illini will head west to the beautiful islands of Hawaii for a double dose of matches against Washington (3/27) and host Hawaii (3/28).
The Orange and Blue return home in early April, just in time to break in the new addition to the Illinois tennis family, the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex. The Illini host three matches in four days against Minnesota (4/4), Iowa (4/5) and Notre Dame (4/6).
The Khan Outdoor Tennis complex will add 12 new outdoor championship tennis courts on the east side of the Atkins Tennis Center, with a center spine dividing the courts into two halves. Along with the courts, a new building structure will attach to the east side of the Atkins Tennis Center, forming a new entrance to the indoor courts. Two new locker rooms for the men's and women's teams, a new sports medicine area, tennis pro shop, pro shop office and storage and new public restrooms, will all be enclosed in the new addition.
Regular season action comes to an end for the Illini as they host Michigan and Michigan State. The Illini will recognize the lone senior Davé in her final home match against the Wolverines on April 19.
The Orange and Blue will travel north to Wisconsin for the 2009 Big Ten Tournament (4/23-26).
The Illini are determined to make back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, as NCAA Regionals begin action on campus sites around the country May 8-9, while the NCAA Championships take place in College Station, Texas, beginning May 15.
