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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini men's tennis team will embark on its first road trip of the dual season this weekend to face No. 24 Duke and No. 10 North Carolina in consecutive days. No. 7 Illinois will face Duke on Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. CT and North Carolina on Jan. 30 at 5 p.m. CT.
FOR STARTERS
Illinois enters the weekend 3-0 having garnered 4-0 victories in all three contests. Aleks Vukic leads the Illini with a 3-0 singles record, playing his last two matches at Illinois' No. 1 singles. No. 21 Jared Hiltzik is 2-0 at the No. 2 position and No. 41. Aron Hiltzik is 2-0 at the No. 3 position. Aron currently holds an 18-match win streak in dual competition dating back to last season, having not lost since Feb. 7, 2015.
SCOUTING DUKE
The No. 24 Blue Devils enter the weekend 1-2 on the season, coming off a 4-2 loss to No. 16 San Diego in their ITA Kick-Off Weekend championship. Illinois has lost three of its last four meeting with Duke, including it's last two trips to Durham. Last season Duke handed Illinois its first loss of the season, as the Illini fell 4-3 at home on Jan. 30.
Duke has two ranked singles players. No. 12 Nicolas Alvarez holds a 1-2 record at the No. 1 position this season and TJ Pura ranks No. 102 in nation. Duke does not have a ranked doubles team. Alvarez and Vincent Lin have a 2-1 record at No. 1 singles.
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
The No. 10 Tar Heels enter the weekend 4-0, having earned a spot in the ITA Team National Indoor Championships with wins over Indiana (4-1) and N.C. State (4-2). Illinois and North Carolina met twice last season, each garnering a victory. UI defeated the Tar Heels 4-3 at home on Jan. 31 and lost 4-3 in the NCAA Championships Round of 16.
North Carolina sports three ranked singles players in No. 12 Ronnie Schneider, No. 44 Brett Clark and No. 47 Robert Kelly. Additionally, the Tar Heels have the No. 1 doubles team of Clark and Kelly.
ON TO NATIONAL INDOORS
Hosting TA Kick-Off Weekend action last weekend, the Illini garnered two 4-0 victories to advance to the ITA Team National Indoor Championships. No. 7 Illinois defeated Notre Dame in the opening round and No. 25 Northwestern in the championship. Illinois will compete in the 16-team field for the third time in the last five years. The No. 7 Illini move to 3-0 on the season.
VUKIC GARNERS B1G HONOR
Sophomore Aleks Vukic was named Tennis Athlete of the Week on Jan. 26 by the Big Ten Conference. Vukic went 5-0 on the weekend. Playing at Illinois' No. 1 singles, Vukic garnered two wins over ranked opponents, defeating No. 12 Konrad Zieba of Northwestern and No. 37 Quentin Monaghan of Notre Dame. He teamed up with Aron Hiltizk to secure two doubles victories at Illinois' No. 2 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.
