April 22, 2010

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The final matches of the regular season this weekend will be crucial for the No. 21 Illini women's tennis team (13-7, 7-1 Big Ten), as it will battle No. 4 Michigan (18-3, 8-0) for a potential share of its first-ever Big Ten title on Saturday, April 24 at 11 a.m. CT, before finishing out the regular season at Michigan State (7-14, 1-7) the following afternoon.

"We couldn't be more anxious for the opportunity to play this weekend," head coach Michelle Dasso said. "The Big Ten is an extremely tough conference and it's a huge credit to the girls for even getting themselves in this position. The determination, passion, and discipline our girls have displayed this year are what have allowed us to get to this position. The girls believe in themselves, believe in each other and relish the challenge."

Live stats for the Michigan match will be available .

WHAT'S AT STAKE
Michigan is the lone undefeated team remaining in the Big Ten at 8-0, while Illinois and Northwestern are currently tied for second place with one loss apiece. Should a tie occur on Sunday, all teams involved will share the conference title and seeding for the tournament will be based on a series of tiebreakers. Illinois, which finished in third place last season, has finished in second place twice in 2000 and 2001.

LAST TIME OUT
The Illini picked up right where it left off with a 7-0 defeat of Penn State on April 18 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex. In the final regular-season home match of the season, Illinois secured its third shutout of the year and extended its winning streak to seven consecutive in the Big Ten and six straight overall.

After edging the Nittany Lions for the doubles point, it was business as usual in singles, as freshman Breanne Smutko claimed her seventh consecutive win and 20th of the season, while junior Leigh Finnegan improved to 8-0 in Big Ten matches and tallied her sixth straight win and 15th on the year and sophomore Amy Allin clinched the match with her 17th victory for the Illini.

No. 90 senior Megan Fudge added her team-best 22nd win of the season and 96th of her career. She is now seven away from tying Lindsey Nimmo for second all-time on the career singles chart and needs just nine more to tie Jennifer McGaffigan for the school record of 105. Also capturing wins on the day were freshman Rachael White and senior Kristina Minor.

ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS
With two wins last weekend, Illinois moved up five spots to a season-high ranking of No. 21, while the Illini men's tennis team checked in at No. 14, making Illinois one of just 14 schools to have both programs ranked in the top 25 this week.

It is the highest ranking for the Illini since reaching a program-best No. 16 during the 2003-04 season. Megan Fudge continued her climb up the singles rankings, as she jumped seven spots to No. 83, in addition to No. 61 in doubles with teammate Leigh Finnegan.

PLAYING THE BEST
Saturday's meeting with No. 4 Michigan marks the Illini's eighth match against an opponent ranked in the top 25 this season. The Illini claimed their first win over a top-25 foe this year on April 10 at then-No. 22 Iowa, 6-1.

Illinois' last win over a top-10 team was against No. 7 Northwestern on April 4, 2004, while the highest ranked opponent ever defeated by the Illini was No. 1 Duke on Feb. 23, 2003. Both wins were at Atkins Tennis Center. The highest ranked opponent Illinois has defeated on the road was No. 13 Northwestern on April 1, 2000.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN
The Wolverines have dropped just three matches this season to Notre Dame, Florida and Duke, all of which are currently ranked in the top 10, and have captured seven wins against top-25 teams. Highlighting the year was Michigan's 4-3 victory at then-No. 4 Northwestern on April 3, which snapped the Wildcats' 81-match winning streak against Big Ten opponents dating back to 2004. The Wolverines are currently riding a 12-match winning streak, with their last loss coming at then-No. 6 Duke on Feb. 20.

No. 21 Denise Muresan has been solid for Michigan at No. 1 singles, where she is 15-6 and has tallied a team-best 30 wins overall. Michelle Sulahian ranks second on the team with 27 wins overall, including 15 at No. 6 singles, while Mimi Nguyen has tallied 25 wins for the year and 18 at Nos. 3-5 singles. Rounding out the group of 20-plus wins is Whitney Taney with 21 overall, including five each at Nos. 2 and 4 singles. Taney and teammate Rika Tatsuno is the lone Wolverine tandem in the national doubles rankings at No. 31.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans have struggled as of late, dropping five straight before claiming their first Big Ten victory of the year against Penn State, 6-1 on April 11. Elena Ivanova has been a bright spot in the lineup at Nos. 4-6 singles, where she has tallied 10 of her team-best 18 wins, while Whitney Wilson has secured 16 wins of her own and 11 in dual matches and Amy Barton has posted 10 wins on the year and six in duals.

UP NEXT
The Illini return to action next week for the 2010 Big Ten Championships hosted by the University of Iowa, April 29-May 2.