May 27, 2011

STANFORD, Calif. - Illinois junior Dennis Nevolo saw his career-best run at the NCAA Singles Championships come to an end Friday afternoon, as the Gurnee, Ill., native was defeated in the round of 16 by eighth-seeded Henrique Cunha (Duke), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Despite the loss, Nevolo clinched All-America honors for the first time in his career by reaching the round of 16 and finishing the regular season ranked inside the top 16 (No. 15). Final national rankings for the 2011 season will be released next week.

"Give a lot of credit to Cunha, he remained steady and never got rattled," head coach Brad Dancer said. "Dennis never seemed to hit his stride in this tournament, which is unfortunate. I know I can do a better job of coaching and mentoring him. We'll prepare over the next couple weeks so he can get the most out of his summer season as possible. Dennis put together quite a few quality wins this season and I'm very proud he was able to earn well-deserved All-America honors this year. He put in an incredible amount of work on his own over winter break and showed great leadership for the team."

For his junior campaign, Nevolo led the team with a career-high 29 wins, including 12 at the No. 1 spot, and 16 over nationally ranked opponents. He also boasted a team-best 22 wins in doubles, bringing his combined singles and doubles win total to 161 through three seasons. Additionally, Nevolo earned unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honors for the third straight year and twice defeated the No. 1 player in the country (Tennessee's John-Patrick Smith and Rhyne Williams).