University of Illinois
Northern Illinois University
Illinois Hosts Northern Illinois/Kentucky Doubleheader Friday
February 23, 2017 | Men's Tennis
| #19 Illinois vs. Northern Illinois / #21 Kentucky | |
|---|---|
| Date | Friday, 12:30 p.m. vs. NIU | 6 p.m. vs. #21 Kentucky |
| Location | Urbana, Ill. | Atkins Tennis Center |
| Live Links | Live Scoring and Video |
| 2017 Information | Match Notes |
First Serve: Northern Illinois-Kentucky Doubleheader
The Illinois Fighting Illini will host a doubleheader on Friday, Feb. 24 against Northern Illinois and the University of Kentucky. First serve for Illinois/NIU is set for 12:30 p.m. The Illini will then host Pack Atkins Night for a 6 p.m. showdown with the Kentucky Wildcats. Illinois and Kentucky have met in each of the first 11 seasons during head coach Brad Dancer's tenure. The Illini have taken three of the past four matchups, where eight of the past 10 contests between the two teams have been Top-25 bouts. The first 300 fans to Atkins on Friday night will receive Illinois stress balls and free pizza is available to the first 200 fans.
Last Time Out: Illini Split Doubleheader in Virginia
The Fighting Illini men's tennis team split a doubleheader in Charlottesville, Va. on Tuesday. Illinois swept William & Mary, 4-0 to begin the day, but fell to the No. 1-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, 6-1. Illinois is now 5-3 overall this season.
Illinois vs. SEC Opponents
Illinois has always been familiar with SEC opponents. The Illini hold a 60-62-1 record against SEC foes and hold a winning record over eight of the 13 teams in the league.
Vukic Named Big Ten Tennis Player of the Week
Aleks Vukic was named the Big Ten Tennis Athlete of the Week on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Vukic is coming off a strong performance on Feb. 10 and 12 against Indiana and Notre Dame, where the junior went 3-0 in doubles and singles. Vukic began the weekend earning his first dual match doubles victory of the season with freshman Aleks Kovacevic, 7-5 over Indiana's Crane and Brodney. The Sydney, Australia native followed the win with a 6-1, 7-6(0) victory over Raheel Manji on court one. On Sunday, Vukic continued to find success on the singles courts. The No. 31-ranked Vukic defeated Notre Dame's No. 34-ranked Josh Hagar, 6-3, 6-1.
Freshmen Focus
The Fighting Illini opened the 2017 season with five freshmen in the starting lineup. Vuk Budic competed in doubles with junior Aleks Vukic. Gui Gomes, Zeke Clark, Aleks Kovacevic and Noe Khlif started on courts three through six in singles. With six freshmen, Illinois has the largest number of freshmen in the Big Ten and the only school in the conference to start five freshmen on opening day.
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