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The Fighting Illini men's tennis team will play host to Notre Dame this weekend for the second time already in the early going of the dual season. The No. 12 Illini will take on the Fighting Irish on Friday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. inside Atkins Tennis Center.

FOR STARTERS

Illinois enters the weekend with a record of 4-1 following mixed results in North Carolina a week ago. Aleks Vukic currently leads the Illini with a perfect 4-0 singles record, playing matches at both the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions. Also, No. 21 Jared Hiltzik is 3-0, as the Illini have not lost at the No. 1 or No. 2 position this season. Illinois has claimed the doubles point in four of five matches this season, led by a 5-0 record at the No. 3 position. Pengxuan Jiang and Julian Childers have been the most successful early in the season, sporting a 3-0 record at Illinois' No. 3 doubles. 

SCOUTING NOTRE DAME

The Fighting Irish come into the weekend following a 6-1 loss to No. 21 Northwestern a week ago. The Irish began the season with back-to-back wins at home over Michigan State (6-1) and Detroit (7-0). Since then, the team has lost three straight road contests, including losses to Illinois, Tulsa and Northwestern. 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.

The Illini have won four straight in the head-to-head series, including a 4-0 victory over the Irish just two weeks ago (Jan. 22) in Urbana. UI produced straight set victories at the top of the lineup in the contest. Aleks Vukic defeated Monaghan on court one. No. 21 Jared Hiltzik defeated Eddy Covalschi on court two and No. 41 Aron Hiltzik topped Alex Lawson on court three. Illinois claimed the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. 

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 also teamed up with Aron Hiltzik to secure two doubles victories at Illinois' No. 2 doubles.

ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS

Illinois enters the weekend at No. 12 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.

NEXT UP

Following the match against Notre Dame, the Fighting Illini will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to compete in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. Hosting ITA Kick-Off Weekend, the Illini qualified for National Indoors after garnering 4-0 victories over Notre Dame in the opening round and No. 25 Northwestern in the championship. National Indoor competition will begin on Feb. 12, and conclude on Feb. 15. Illinois will compete in the 16-team field for the third time in the last five years.