CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - After almost two weeks since its last competition, the No. 8 Fighting Illini men's tennis team will travel to Evanston to take on No. 11 Northwestern Saturday, March 12. First serve is set for Noon. The match will mark the second time the two teams have faced off during the dual season, as the Illini came away with a 4-0 victory over the Wildcats on Jan. 23, inside Atkins Tennis Center.
For Starters
The Illini enter the weekend with a record of 7-5, including a 4-5 mark against ranked opponents. Most recently, UI hosted Texas A&M, Virginia and TCU, three teams currently ranked in the top-10 in the nation. The Illini had mixed results, but the stretch was highlighted by a 4-3 victory over the reigning National Champions, Virginia.
Scouting Northwestern
The Wildcats come into the weekend with an impressive 12-1 record on the season. Most recently, NU defeated Harvard (7-0), improving its win streak to nine. The streak has also featured victories over Notre Dame, Duke, Rice, Cornell, Kentucky, NC State, Vanderbilt and UIC. The Wildcats currently have three nationally ranked singles players, including No. 11 Konrad Zieba, No. 83 Sam Shropshire and No. 95 Strong Kirchheimer.
The Illini currently hold a 27-match win streak over Northwestern. Most recently, UI earned a 4-0 victory over the wildcats back on Jan. 23. Aleks Vukic, Jared Hiltzik and Julian Childers earned victories over Zieba, Shropshire and Kirchheimer, respectively, to secure the Illinois win.
Illini Garner BIG Honors
Senior Jared Hitlzik was named Big Ten Tennis Athlete of the Week on Tuesday, March 1, as announced by the league office. Hiltzik went 3-0 over the stretch, helping the Orange and Blue knock off No. 2 Virginia at home. The honor is the first for Hiltzik this season and sixth of his career. It marks the third time this season an Illini men's tennis player has received the award, as Aleks Vukic has garnered the laurel twice this season. Vukic received the award on Feb. 16 and Jan. 26.
Illini in the Rankings
Illinois enters the weekend at No. 8 in the ITA national rankings. UI is also the only team in the country with two singles players currently ranked in the top-10 nationally, highlighted by No. 6 Aleks Vukic and No. 8 Jared Hiltzik. Aron Hiltzik also cracked the list and currently sits at No. 63.
Next Up
Following the match against Northwestern, the Fighting Illini will head to Indian Wells, California to take on Baylor. Competition will begin at 1 p.m. CT on March 18
