June 16, 2010
Despite an early exit from the NCAA Championships, fourth-year head coach Michelle Dasso's squad made plenty of noise throughout the 2009-10 season and was ultimately rewarded with its first top-25 finish in the final national rankings since 2004.
Boasting one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Illini struggled early on as six of their first nine opponents were ranked inside the top 30, with several matches resulting in one-point decisions. A 6-1 victory at No. 28 Indiana midway through the season provided just the spark the Illini needed as they went on to claim seven of their next eight matches and seven straight in Big Ten play. Highlighting the streak was Illinois' first win of the season over a top-25 opponent, as the Illini easily handled 22nd-ranked Iowa, 6-1 to put themselves in a position for a potential three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten.
With Michigan taking care of perennial powerhouse Northwestern earlier in the year, a win over the Wolverines was all Illinois needed to all but clinch a share of the Big Ten title. Unfortunately, Michigan had other plans and claimed a 5-2 decision to secure a first-place finish for the first time since 1997. Illinois closed out the regular season with a 5-2 victory of its own at Michigan State the following afternoon to finish 8-2 in the Big Ten, good for its second straight third-place finish. The win also was Dasso's 50th of her young career and she currently ranks fourth all-time in career coaching victories at Illinois.
Illinois received a bye into the quarterfinals at the Big Ten Tournament where it met a feisty Purdue squad looking to avenge a 6-1 loss during the regular season. The Boilermakers seemed poised to pull off the upset after taking an early advantage with the doubles point, but the Illini buckled down in singles and secured the four wins they needed to advance to the semifinals and earn a rematch with Northwestern.
Illinois, which had not topped the Wildcats since 2004, wasted no time jumping ahead this time around and claimed the doubles point to gain the early edge. Northwestern battled back with two swift wins in singles to go up 2-1, before the Illini evened the score at two apiece. The Wildcats proved to be too much in the remaining matches, however, and went on to claim the match, 4-2.
With the regular season and Big Ten Tournament behind them, the Illini then turned their attention to the NCAA Championships, as they garnered their third consecutive NCAA bid and 10th overall and drew Nebraska in the opening round of the tournament in Evanston, Ill.
A hard-fought battle ended in favor of Nebraska, as the Illini fell 4-2 to the Huskers to end the season. After earning the doubles point for the second straight match, Illinois could not overcome Nebraska in singles play as the Huskers completed the rally with three straight wins to clinch the victory.
The Illini, who ranked 24th in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings, finished the season with a 15-10 overall record, including nine wins over nationally ranked opponents. With the Illini men finishing 16th in the rankings, Illinois was the only Big Ten school to boast both of its tennis programs in the final top 25.
New to the Orange and Blue this season were former Northwestern tennis standouts Georgia Rose and Keri Robison on the coaching staff, while blue-chip recruits Breanne Smutko and Rachael White became mainstays in the Illinois lineup. White, who played the majority of her matches at Nos. 1 and 2 singles, checked in at No. 33 in the first national rankings of the spring after a successful fall season in which she knocked off a pair of highly ranked opponents. Smutko also made an immediate impact, playing in all but four duals and every Big Ten match.
Illini seniors Megan Fudge, Kristina Minor and Christine Stromberg, who had been with Dasso since her first season at Illinois, wrapped up their collegiate careers at the end of this season. All three Illini made significant contributions both on and off the court and played an integral role in the development of the program over the past four years.
Minor finished with 57 singles wins, one of which clinched the Illini's 4-3 victory over then-No. 19 Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2009. The Mundelein, Ill., native also has collected the team's Brianna Knue Fighting Illini Spirit Award three times in her career and is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete as a psychology major.
Stromberg, who secured 20 singles wins for the Illini after transferring from Ball State, also is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete. Additionally, the Rolling Meadows, Ill., native took home the team's Scholar-Athlete Award on two occasions as a recreation, sport and tourism major and tallied three straight Strength and Conditioning Awards.
Fudge ended her stellar career with the third-most singles wins in school history, with 97, while her 73 career doubles victories is good for eighth all-time. In addition to posting four straight 20-win seasons, the Kaarst, Germany, native also was just the second Illini to earn four-straight All-Big Ten honors and the first to earn the team's Advantage Illinois Most Valuable Player honor all four seasons. In the final ITA national rankings released June 7, Fudge checked in at No. 86 in both singles and doubles with junior Leigh Finnegan.
Off the court, Fudge is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree as a recreation, sport and tourism major, and was named the Midwest's recipient of the ITA/Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship. According to the award's description, the accolade goes to a women's player who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis.
In addition to Fudge, three other Illini secured 20-win seasons in 2010 including junior Marisa Lambropoulos and Smutko with 22 apiece, while sophomore Chelcie Abajian added 21 of her own. Fellow sophomore Amy Allin checked in with 17 victories including 14 in tournament play and redshirt junior Leigh Finnegan finished with 16 wins after missing several matches throughout the year due to injury.
Illinois will return seven letterwinners next season plus the addition of five-star signees Allison Falkin and Michelle Kedzierski, who will look to make an immediate impact in 2011.
