Jan. 19, 2014

WAILEA, Hawaii - The Fighting Illini women's tennis team wrapped up play in Hawaii on Saturday. The Orange and Blue struggled overall over the weekend, coming out with an 11-20 overall record in individual play.

The Illini faced a tough No. 4 Georgia on Thursday, conceding all nine matches.

Friday saw a surge of momentum for the women, who faced Hawaii-Pacific and went 8-4 against the Sea Warriors. All-American Melissa Kopinski defeated HPU's Magdalena Smejova, and her doubles partner Alexis Casati also defeated her opponent, Karen Ramirez. The partners went on to win their doubles matchup 6-3.

Saturday also proved to be a tough day for the Fighting Illini, going 3-7 against No. 29 Oklahoma State. Allison Falkin, Julia Jamieson, and Casati provided all three of the Illini wins.

"All three days we had competitive matches outdoors in the heat to kick off our season which is exactly what we needed," says head coach Michelle Dasso. "We learned from each match and know what needs tuning up before out first dual. We feel blessed for this experience and the girls certainly enjoyed being together in such a beautiful location."

The Illini will return to action next weekend in their double-header home openers on Jan. 24 against Saint Louis University and the University of Chicago and on Jan. 26 against UIC and Illinois State.