Thursday, May 14
Waco, Texas
Noon
University of Illinois
vs
North Carolina
Rematch Awaits Illini in NCAA Championships Round of 16
May 12, 2015 | Men's Tennis
[4] Illinois to face [13] North Carolina Thursday at Noon CT
NCAA Championship Central | Printable Bracket
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW
The Fighting Illini men's tennis team will compete in the 2015 NCAA Championships with a Round of 16 matchup against North Carolina. The Sweet 16 begins Thursday May 14 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas at the University of Baylor. The [4] Illini face the [13] Tar Heels at Noon CT, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals against [5] TCU or Wake Forest [12] Saturday May 16 at 11 a.m. CT.
Tickets are available throughout the Championships. All-Sessions tickets $75 each while daily tickets are $10 and are available through the Baylor Athletics website.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Since the tournament opened to a 64-team field in 1999, the Illini have advanced to the NCAA Championships 14 times. In fact, Illinois head coach Brad Dancer has reached the Round of 16 seven-out-of-nine times since taking over in the 2005-06 season.
Overall, the Illini are 43-18 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, as they will be appearing in the tournament for the 20th straight year. Illinois won its lone national championship in 2003 and was national runner-up in 2007.
Illinois' all-time record in each round
First Round - 17-0
Second Round - 15-3
Third Round - 6-7
Quarterfinals - 3-3
Semifinals - 2-1
Finals - 1-1
SERVING POINTS
No. 33 Farris Gosea will likely serve as Illinois' No. 1 singles player. The senior is riding confidence into the championships, having clinched Illinois 4-2 victory over Drake in the Second Round. Gosea won both of his matches in the opening rounds of the tournament and currently holds an eight-match winning streak.
Jared Hiltzik, the highest ranked player for the Illini at No. 23, will play at the No. 2 position. Jared is an impressive 12-1 when playing as Illinois' No. 2 singles.
Tim Kopinski was won six of his last seven matches and Kopinski is 14-2 at the No. 3 position this season. The Illini are a perfect 23-0 at No. 4 singles this season Aron Hiltzik and Aleks Vukic each claiming at least nine victories at the position. Overall Aron currently holds the longest winning streak on the team at impressive 15 matches. Vukic is 22-2 overall this dual season and broke Ryler DeHeart's school record of most wins in a singles season with a victory in the First Round. Vukic currently sports a 44-5 overall record.
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
The Illini will have a rematch with the Tar Heels this Thursday, as the Illini defeated North Carolina on Jan. 31 in a thrilling4-3 come-from-behind victory.The Illini fought from down 3-2 to secure the victory over then No. 6 North Carolina.Tied 3-3,Farris Gosea trailed then No. 2 Brayden Schnur 5-2 in the third set.Gosea scratched his way back, breaking Schnur 5-4, and then held serve twice to force the tiebreaker, which he would win 7-5.
Illinois is 4-5 all-time against North Carolina and have met in the regular season the past two years.Thirteenth-seeded North Carolina enters the NCAA Championship having won six of its last seven. The Tar Heels fell (4-0) to Virginia in the ACC Semifinals. North Carolina defeated William & Mary (4-0) and Mississippi State (4-1) to advance to the Round of 16.
The Tar Heels sport three players ranked in the top-75 as of the May 1 singles rankings: No. 11 Brayden Schnur, No. 28 Ronnie Schneider and No. 73 Brett Clark. North Carolina also has two ranked doubles teams in Steiro/Hess-Olesen (#33) and Clark/Kelly (#45).
DOUBLES
Illinois has claimed the doubles point in 20 of its 31 matches this spring. The Illini are a perfect 20-0 when they win doubles and 7-4 when they drop the early 1-0 advantage.
ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS
After starting the season ranked No. 11, Illinois peaked at No. 2 on March 17. The Illini finished the regular season at No. 4 in the country.
Individually, five Illini are currently ranked in the top 85. Leading the way is #23 Jared Hiltzik followed by #33 Farris Gosea, #65 Tim Kopinski, #74 Aleks Vukic and #81 Aron Hiltzik. In doubles, Kopinski and Ross Guignon sit at No. 17, while Kopinski and Jared Hiltzik are ranked No. 36.
HILTZIK & GOSEA SINGLES BOUND // KOPINSKI & GUIGNON SELECTED FOR DOUBLES
A day after the Illini were announced as the No. 4 seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, the NCAA Division I Men's tennis subcommittee selected Jared Hiltzik and Farris Gosea to the upcoming NCAA singles tournament. The pair of Tim Kopinski and Ross Guignon was also selected and will be representing the Illini in the doubles tournament.
The singles and doubles competition will occur May 20-25 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas following the conclusion of the team championships. All matches shall be best-of-three sets. Regular scoring and a 12-point tiebreaker at six games-all will be used for all matches.
2015 B1G CHAMPIONS & B1G TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
The Illini (27-4, 10-1) wrapped up a stellar conference season as 2015 Big Ten Champions and 2015 Big Ten Tournament Champions. Illinois finished in a three-way tie for the Big Ten regular season championship, garnering its first regular-season title since 2005. Minnesota (10-1) and Ohio State (10-1) also earned a share of the conference title.
Illinois dominated throughout the B1G Tournament garnering 4-0 victories in all three matches. Illinois defeated Iowa quarterfinals and Northwestern in the semifinals. The fourth-ranked and one-seed Fighting Illini cruised to a Big Ten title with a victory over two-seeded and 12th-ranked Ohio State. The victory marked the second conference tournament title for the Illini under head coach Brad Dancer who were champions in 2012. Their win over Ohio State in the finals was the Orange and Blue's third victory over the Buckeyes this season.
ILLINI EARN FOUR ITA REGIONAL AWARDS
Illinois took home a total of four 2015 ITA Midwest Region awards. Head coach Brad Dancer was named the Midwest Region Coach of the Year, marking his first coach of the year accolade. Associate head coach Marcos Asse was named the Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year for the first time, while senior Tim Kopinski was named the Midwest ITA Senior Player of the Year and Midwest ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship & Leadership Award winner.
BIG TEN ACCOLADES
Five Illini took home All-Big Ten honors in 2015, marking the first time that the Orange and Blue produced five honorees since 2003. Four Illini were named First-Team selections including Farris Gosea, Jared Hiltzik, Tim Kopinski and Aron Hiltzik, while Aleks Vukic received Second-Team honors. Gosea and Jared were two of six unanimous First-Team selections.
Three Illini earned B1G Athlete of the Week honors this season. Aleks Vukic earned the accolade on March 31 after he went a perfect 4-0, helping the Illini end No. 11 Ohio State's 97-straight regular season Big Ten winning streak. Aron Hiltzik earned his first weekly honor on March 17. Aron secured two victories over ranked opponents on the Texas road trip, helping the Illini to wins over No. 8 Texas (4-2) and No. 9 Texas A&M (4-2). Jared Hiltzik was named athlete of the week on Feb. 17 for his efforts at the 2015 ITA Men's Indoor Championships. Jared went 2-0 on the weekend, helping the Illini to wins over No. 13 California (4-2) and No. 8 Ohio State (4-2).
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW
The Fighting Illini men's tennis team will compete in the 2015 NCAA Championships with a Round of 16 matchup against North Carolina. The Sweet 16 begins Thursday May 14 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas at the University of Baylor. The [4] Illini face the [13] Tar Heels at Noon CT, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals against [5] TCU or Wake Forest [12] Saturday May 16 at 11 a.m. CT.
Tickets are available throughout the Championships. All-Sessions tickets $75 each while daily tickets are $10 and are available through the Baylor Athletics website.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Since the tournament opened to a 64-team field in 1999, the Illini have advanced to the NCAA Championships 14 times. In fact, Illinois head coach Brad Dancer has reached the Round of 16 seven-out-of-nine times since taking over in the 2005-06 season.
Overall, the Illini are 43-18 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, as they will be appearing in the tournament for the 20th straight year. Illinois won its lone national championship in 2003 and was national runner-up in 2007.
Illinois' all-time record in each round
First Round - 17-0
Second Round - 15-3
Third Round - 6-7
Quarterfinals - 3-3
Semifinals - 2-1
Finals - 1-1
SERVING POINTS
No. 33 Farris Gosea will likely serve as Illinois' No. 1 singles player. The senior is riding confidence into the championships, having clinched Illinois 4-2 victory over Drake in the Second Round. Gosea won both of his matches in the opening rounds of the tournament and currently holds an eight-match winning streak.
Jared Hiltzik, the highest ranked player for the Illini at No. 23, will play at the No. 2 position. Jared is an impressive 12-1 when playing as Illinois' No. 2 singles.
Tim Kopinski was won six of his last seven matches and Kopinski is 14-2 at the No. 3 position this season. The Illini are a perfect 23-0 at No. 4 singles this season Aron Hiltzik and Aleks Vukic each claiming at least nine victories at the position. Overall Aron currently holds the longest winning streak on the team at impressive 15 matches. Vukic is 22-2 overall this dual season and broke Ryler DeHeart's school record of most wins in a singles season with a victory in the First Round. Vukic currently sports a 44-5 overall record.
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
The Illini will have a rematch with the Tar Heels this Thursday, as the Illini defeated North Carolina on Jan. 31 in a thrilling4-3 come-from-behind victory.The Illini fought from down 3-2 to secure the victory over then No. 6 North Carolina.Tied 3-3,Farris Gosea trailed then No. 2 Brayden Schnur 5-2 in the third set.Gosea scratched his way back, breaking Schnur 5-4, and then held serve twice to force the tiebreaker, which he would win 7-5.
Illinois is 4-5 all-time against North Carolina and have met in the regular season the past two years.Thirteenth-seeded North Carolina enters the NCAA Championship having won six of its last seven. The Tar Heels fell (4-0) to Virginia in the ACC Semifinals. North Carolina defeated William & Mary (4-0) and Mississippi State (4-1) to advance to the Round of 16.
The Tar Heels sport three players ranked in the top-75 as of the May 1 singles rankings: No. 11 Brayden Schnur, No. 28 Ronnie Schneider and No. 73 Brett Clark. North Carolina also has two ranked doubles teams in Steiro/Hess-Olesen (#33) and Clark/Kelly (#45).
DOUBLES
Illinois has claimed the doubles point in 20 of its 31 matches this spring. The Illini are a perfect 20-0 when they win doubles and 7-4 when they drop the early 1-0 advantage.
ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS
After starting the season ranked No. 11, Illinois peaked at No. 2 on March 17. The Illini finished the regular season at No. 4 in the country.
Individually, five Illini are currently ranked in the top 85. Leading the way is #23 Jared Hiltzik followed by #33 Farris Gosea, #65 Tim Kopinski, #74 Aleks Vukic and #81 Aron Hiltzik. In doubles, Kopinski and Ross Guignon sit at No. 17, while Kopinski and Jared Hiltzik are ranked No. 36.
HILTZIK & GOSEA SINGLES BOUND // KOPINSKI & GUIGNON SELECTED FOR DOUBLES
A day after the Illini were announced as the No. 4 seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, the NCAA Division I Men's tennis subcommittee selected Jared Hiltzik and Farris Gosea to the upcoming NCAA singles tournament. The pair of Tim Kopinski and Ross Guignon was also selected and will be representing the Illini in the doubles tournament.
The singles and doubles competition will occur May 20-25 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas following the conclusion of the team championships. All matches shall be best-of-three sets. Regular scoring and a 12-point tiebreaker at six games-all will be used for all matches.
2015 B1G CHAMPIONS & B1G TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
The Illini (27-4, 10-1) wrapped up a stellar conference season as 2015 Big Ten Champions and 2015 Big Ten Tournament Champions. Illinois finished in a three-way tie for the Big Ten regular season championship, garnering its first regular-season title since 2005. Minnesota (10-1) and Ohio State (10-1) also earned a share of the conference title.
Illinois dominated throughout the B1G Tournament garnering 4-0 victories in all three matches. Illinois defeated Iowa quarterfinals and Northwestern in the semifinals. The fourth-ranked and one-seed Fighting Illini cruised to a Big Ten title with a victory over two-seeded and 12th-ranked Ohio State. The victory marked the second conference tournament title for the Illini under head coach Brad Dancer who were champions in 2012. Their win over Ohio State in the finals was the Orange and Blue's third victory over the Buckeyes this season.
ILLINI EARN FOUR ITA REGIONAL AWARDS
Illinois took home a total of four 2015 ITA Midwest Region awards. Head coach Brad Dancer was named the Midwest Region Coach of the Year, marking his first coach of the year accolade. Associate head coach Marcos Asse was named the Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year for the first time, while senior Tim Kopinski was named the Midwest ITA Senior Player of the Year and Midwest ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship & Leadership Award winner.
BIG TEN ACCOLADES
Five Illini took home All-Big Ten honors in 2015, marking the first time that the Orange and Blue produced five honorees since 2003. Four Illini were named First-Team selections including Farris Gosea, Jared Hiltzik, Tim Kopinski and Aron Hiltzik, while Aleks Vukic received Second-Team honors. Gosea and Jared were two of six unanimous First-Team selections.
Three Illini earned B1G Athlete of the Week honors this season. Aleks Vukic earned the accolade on March 31 after he went a perfect 4-0, helping the Illini end No. 11 Ohio State's 97-straight regular season Big Ten winning streak. Aron Hiltzik earned his first weekly honor on March 17. Aron secured two victories over ranked opponents on the Texas road trip, helping the Illini to wins over No. 8 Texas (4-2) and No. 9 Texas A&M (4-2). Jared Hiltzik was named athlete of the week on Feb. 17 for his efforts at the 2015 ITA Men's Indoor Championships. Jared went 2-0 on the weekend, helping the Illini to wins over No. 13 California (4-2) and No. 8 Ohio State (4-2).
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Saturday, May 02
Saturday, May 02
Saturday, May 02
Saturday, May 02
