CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 7 Fighting Illini men's tennis team is set to kickoff its 2016 dual season Friday, Jan. 22, with two matches, including the opening round of ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Illinois will host Valparaiso Friday at 10 a.m. Then in the afternoon, ITA Kick-Off action will begin. Illinois will open the event against Notre Dame at 6 p.m.
FOR STARTERS
The Illini opened the 2016 season at the Three Oaks Shootout in Fort Myers, Florida, garnering 13 singles wins and five doubles wins in an individual tournament field that included No. 3 TCU, No. 13 South Florida and No. 29 Mississippi. Julian Childers earned Co-Most Outstanding Player, as he garnered the most points in singles and doubles competitions. Childers finished 3-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles.
ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS
Illinois enters the weekend at No. 7 in the ITA national rankings, after receiving a preseason ranking of No. 6. Three Illini earned individual rankings led by two-time All-American Jared Hiltzik who enters 2016 at No. 21. Sophomore Aron Hiltzik appeared at No. 41, while redshirt junior Julian Childers appeared at No. 67.
2016 OUTLOOK
The 2016 Illini return a lot of talent, including senior Jared Hiltzik and sophomores Aron Hiltzik and Aleks Vukic whom were staples in last season's lineup. All three Illini earned All-Big Ten selections and garnered at least 18 dual wins. Senior Brian Page, redshirt juniors Julian Childers and Alex Jesse, sophomore Toshiki Matsuya and redshirt freshman Pablo Landa also return. Dancer adds a talented freshmen duo of Asher Hirsch and Pengxuan Jiang to this year's squad.
VALPARAISO
The 2016 dual season officially begins with a matchup against the Valparaiso Crusaders. Valparaiso was tied with Green Bay at the top of the 2016 Horizon League preseason poll. Jeffrey Schorsch leads the Crusaders after earning Horizon League Player of the Year honors in 2015. Dave Bacalla, who was named First Team All-League, also returns. Valparaiso sports the No. 33 doubles team in nation in Schorsch and Charlie Emhardt. Last season the Illini defeated the Crusaders 5-0 in South Bend, Indiana.
ITA KICK-OFF WEEKEND
This weekend marks the seventh annual ITA Kick-Off Weekend where 60 schools around the nation will be competing for the 15 vacant spots at the ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championship, hosted next month in Charlottesville, Virginia. Illinois was named one of the host sites and thus earning the one seed in the four team tournament. The group of No. 7 Illinois, No. 24 Tulsa, No. 25 Northwestern and Notre Dame will compete at Atkins Tennis Center this weekend in hopes of advancing.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
Notre Dame enters the weekend 2-0 on the season after garnering 6-1 victories over Michigan State and Detroit. The Irish sport 37th-ranked Quentin Monaghan who received a preseason ranking of No. 5 in the ITA national rankings. Monaghan and Alex Lawson also rank No. 6 in the nation in doubles. Last season the Illini defeated the Irish in South Bend by the score of 4-3.
No. 24 Tulsa moved into the top-25 in this week's rankings after defeating No. 21 California by the score of 4-3. Tulsa is 2-0 on the season, having also defeated Oral Roberts. No. 51 Or Ram-Harel leads Tulsa in singles.
No. 25 Northwestern also enters the weekend 2-0 on the season after earning 4-0 wins over Louisville and Chicago State. The Wildcats have three ranked singles players in No. 16 Konrad Zieba, No. 50 Sam Shropshire and No. 55 Strong Kirchheimer. In doubles, Kircheimer and Fedor Baev rank No. 52. Last season Illinois defeated Northwestern twice inside Atkins Tennis Center, including once in the Big Ten Tournament.
