March 22, 2011

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois women's tennis team (4-6, 1-0 Big Ten) will face a trio of opponents this week, beginning at No. 25 San Diego (10-4) on Wednesday, followed by Fresno State (5-8) on Friday for the final non-conference match of the year, before closing out the week at Big Ten foe Ohio State (8-6, 1-0 Big Ten) on Sunday. It will be the fourth meeting between Illinois and San Diego and third against Fresno State, while the Illini lead the all-time series with the Buckeyes, 31-12, and have won the last four matches.

Live scoring for the Ohio State match will be available .

CAMPBELL/ITA NATIONAL RANKINGS
New team rankings will be released later today. In the latest individual rankings released last Tuesday, sophomore Rachael White came in at No. 98 in singles, while sophomore Breanne Smutko earned her first-career ranking at No. 117. In doubles, White checked in at No. 18 with freshman Allison Falkin and Smutko is No. 62 with junior Chelcie Abajian. White and Falkin currently lead the team with 11 wins overall, with Abajian and Smutko close behind with 10 on the year.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
San Diego earned its highest ranking of the year at No. 25 and has won five of its last six matches, including three straight over Princeton, Denver and Sacramento State. Laura Claus and Anna Depenau lead the squad with 14 wins on the year, while 74th-ranked Stephanie Hoffpauir has nine. Fresno State has struggled as of late, dropping four of its last six matches. The Bulldogs most recently split a home doubleheader, defeating Pacific, 5-2, but fell by the same score to Sacramento State. Marianne Jodoin is the lone ranked Bulldog, checking in at No. 99.

No. 75 Ohio State, which reached as high as No. 31 in the rankings, also has fallen in four of its last six matches, though it collected a 6-1 win in its last outing over Eastern Michigan last Sunday. Ohio State finished sixth in the Big Ten last season with a 5-5 mark, and was victorious in its conference opener back in February over Penn State, 6-1. The Buckeyes will face No. 18 Tennessee and Iowa during the week before hosting the Illini on Sunday. Fidan Manashirova leads the team with 19 wins overall, followed by Gabby Steele and Kara Cecil with 16 apiece.

LAST TIME OUT
The Illini snapped a three match home skid with a 5-2 victory over Western Michigan (6-8) last Friday night at Atkins Tennis Center. Illinois swept doubles for the second time this season and sophomore Breanne Smutko clinched the match with her eighth win of the season and first at the No. 2 spot.

Senior Annie McCarthy and Smutko got the ball rolling in doubles with a swift 8-4 win, before first-time doubles partners junior Chelcie Abajian and freshman Allison Falkin collected an 8-4 victory themselves to secure the 1-0 advantage for the Illini. Senior Leigh Finnegan and junior Amy Allin completed the sweep with their sixth win of the season.

In singles, Allin tallied her team-best 15 win of the year and first at the No. 1 spot, while McCarthy captured her eighth win of the season in her dual-season singles debut. No. 117 Smutko sealed the win with a hard-fought victory over Nini Sujashvili, 6-2, 6-4, and Falkin added a three-set win of her own. All four Illini are currently riding a three-match winning streak.

UP NEXT
Illinois returns home next weekend to host Purdue (April 2) and Indiana (April 3) at Atkins Tennis Center.