Feb. 4, 2009

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 13 Illinois men's tennis team is set to host the No. 36 Duke Bluedevils and the No. 8-ranked Tennessee Volunteers this weekend at the Atkins Tennis Center. The Illini bring in a 3-1 record into the weekend after suffering their first loss of the season nearly two weeks ago, falling to No. 5 Virginia in Charlottesville, Va.

Friday's match will feature a special exhibition match between doubles and singles featuring members of the Illinois football team. The "Veteran" duos of Juice Williams / Chris James and Daniel Dufrene / Rakeem Smith will take on the "Rookie" tandems of Jacob Charest / Ryan Sedlacek and Justin Staples / Hubie Graham.

A costume contest will take place during the intermission at Saturday's match. A total of $100 will be given away in prizes to the most creative and electric Illinois fans.

Both matches are scheduled to get underway at 6 p.m. at Atkins. Admission is FREE. A chance to win a tennis racquet also will be available to fans in attendance at both matches.

Live scoring will be offered for each match and a full recap will be available at the end of play both days. Both can be found at fightingillini.com.

FOOTBALL PLAYERS TO PLAY EXHIBITION MATCH FRIDAY NIGHT
Eight members of the Illinois football team will treat fans at the Illinois men's tennis dual on Friday to an exhibition match that will take place in between doubles and singles. This year's exhibition match will feature the "Veteran" duo of Juice Williams and Chris James taking on the "Rookie" tandem of Jacob Charest and Ryan Sedlacek. In the other exhibition match of the evening "Veterans" Rakeem Smith and Daniel Dufrene will square off against "Rookies" Justin Staples and Hubie Graham.

STATE OF THE ILLINI
The Illinois men's tennis team has started off the 2009 season with a 3-1 record heading into this weekend. The Illini are currently ranked No. 13 in the latest ITA team rankings of the season, moving up two spots from its preseason No. 15 ranking. The Illini also boast four players in the individual rankings top-115, with sophomore Roy Kalmanovich leading the way at No. 23, followed by freshman Dennis Nevolo at No. 41. Rounding out the Illini receiving singles recognition are senior Marc Spicijaric at No. 102 and junior Meedo El Tabakh at No. 114.

ILLINOIS SET TO HOST ITA NATIONAL INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The University of Illinois Men's Tennis Team will host the top 16 teams in the nation at the 2009 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Men's Tennis Team Indoor Championships. The tournament will take place February 13 - 16 at Midtown Tennis Club located at 2020 W. Fullerton Avenue in Chicago.

The field has been set for the 35th annual event after sixty teams competed in the inaugural ITA Kick-Off Weekend January 30 - February 1 to determine which 15 teams would join the University of Illinois at the 2009 ITA Championships in Chicago. Of the fifteen No.1 seeds in the Kick-Off competition, 14 have advanced with an opportunity to capture the elusive National Team Indoor Championship title. Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio State, Pepperdine, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Tulsa, UCLA, USC and defending champion Virginia will all make their way to Chicago next week.

This is the second time in three years the Illini have hosted this prestigious tournament.

MOVIN' ON UP
With the upset win over then-No.14 Pepperdine on Jan. 17, Coach Dancer moved into a fifth place tie on the Illinois all-time coaching victories. In his fourth year as head coach, Dancer has compiled a 70-26 record (.729) with the Orange and Blue.

SCOUTING THE BLUEDEVILS
2008 was another successful season for the Blue Devils, compiling an 11-14 record and advancing to its sixteenth consecutive NCAA tournament. This year, they have started off 3-1, with their only loss coming to number-17 Florida State. They are currently ranked No. 36 in the latest ITA poll. Two Blue Devils are also ranked nationally in singles with sophomore Reid Carleton at No. 25 and senior Kiril Dimitrov coming in at No.45. As a freshman, Carleton was an All-ACC selection and gathered up 27 wins, a team high.

TAKING A LOOK AT THE VOLUNTEERS
Tennessee has started off the season with a strong, going undefeated in its first four matches. The Vols are also presently ranked No. 8 in the country. Last season, Tennessee made it to the sweet sixteen of the NCAA tournament and finished with a record of 23-4. Eight of the nine players from last year's team return this year, including sophomore All-American John Patrick-Smith. As a freshman, he had a team high 33 wins and was the NCAA Singles Runner-Up. Also leading the team is sophomore Boris Conkic, who earned 28 wins as a freshman, and has started off this season undefeated in singles.

SPICIJARIC EARNS FIRST CAREER CONFERENCE ACCOLADE
Senior Marc Spicijaric was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the week ending Jan. 18, the conference office announced Tuesday, Jan. 20. The No. 101-ranked Spicijaric played a vital role in each of the Illini victories over the weekend of Jan.16-17, helping Illinois begin the 2009 campaign a perfect 3-0, including an upset of No. 14 Pepperdine. In singles, Spicijaric led the Illini charge against the Ball State Cardinals, as the Orange and Blue swept all matches. Playing at No. 1 singles, Spicijaric knocked off Ball State's top player Eduardo Pavia, 6-2, 6-2. The next day, the Wesley Chapel, Fla., native wasted little time in upsetting No. 57-ranked Mahmoud Kamel of Pepperdine, 6-2, 6-2. In doubles, Spicijaric teamed up with senior Brian Livingston to go 2-0 on the weekend.

NEVOLO NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Dennis Nevolo earned his first weekly laurel after posting an unblemished 6-0 slate in his inaugural spring tournament with the Fighting Illini last weekend at the University of South Florida Invitational in Tampa, Fla. The No. 41-ranked Nevolo led the Illini charge going 4-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles. Nevolo opened the weekend with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Michael Moore of Florida A&M. On the second day of the tournament, Nevolo knocked off two opponents, defeating Florida State's Vahid Mirzadeh, 6-2, 6-1, and USF's Mark Olijaca, 6-4, 6-0. Rounding out his singles wins, Nevolo closed out the USF Invitational with a straight sets victory over Leon Nasemann of Memphis in a 6-4, 6-0 decision. In doubles, the Gurnee, Ill., native also saw success with two different teammates, partnering up with sophomores Roy Kalmanovich and Waylon Chin to notch two decisive victories against Florida A&M and Memphis, respectively, on the weekend.

UP NEXT
The Illini will host No. 7 Florida on Tuesday, February 10 at the Atkins Tennis Center. Match time is set for 6 p.m. The Orange and Blue will then travel up north to the Windy City as they play host to the 2009 ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships held at the Midtown Tennis Club.