Complete Results

URBANA, Ill. - Freshman Jade Hilton dropped her first set and fell behind 3-0 in the second set before making a monster comeback to be the deciding factor for the Illinois women's tennis team in a 4-3 win over San Jose State at the Atkins Tennis Center.

"I had a lot of faith in the depth of our program today," shared head coach Michelle Dasso. "Our team came together and that's going to be a huge confidence building experience. To play without Kopinski in our singles lineup and get that win I think is huge."

Illinois started the afternoon by picking up the doubles point over the Spartans. At No. 3 doubles, Grace Tapak and Alexis Casati notched a 6-2 win to open doubles play. Melissa Kopinski and Louise Kwong secured the doubles point with a 6-2 win over SJSU's Gauvain and Rey duo.

In singles, play on the third court was the first to finish as Rey topped Jerricka Boone 6-1, 6-4 to knot the match at 1-all. On court one, Casati won the first set 6-2 but San Jose State's Gauvain made a comeback and claimed the next two sets by scores of 6-3 and 6-4 to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead on the match.

Number five singles was the next to finish as Tapak downed SJSU's Abbie Pahz 7-5, 6-4 for a 2-2 tie. Next, Julia Jamieson took the first set at six singles, 6-4, but fell in the next two sets by marks of 6-3 and 6-4.

With the win at No. 6 singles, San Jose State needed just one more win to leave Urbana victorious but the Illini had a different plan. After dropping the first set at No. 2 singles, 7-5, Kwong battled to win the next two sets 7-5, 6-1, which tied the match score at 3-3.

Despite falling behind early and battling through muscle cramps, Hilton kept her composure in a well-earned win on court four. She defeated Juliana Bacelar of the Spartans by a line of 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(6).

"I was just thinking put the ball in the court, move her around and play to her weakness; and that's where I started," stated Hilton on her comeback. The Mississauga, Ontario, native shared the thoughts going through her head during the third set, stating "Just make her [Bacelar] play one point at a time and eventually it was third-set tiebreak and I pulled it out."

Next weekend, Feb. 14-15, the Illini will continue their home stand as they host Notre Dame on Saturday at 11 a.m. Then, Sunday will feature a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. with Marquette followed by Chicago State at 4 p.m. All action will take place at the Atkins Tennis Center.