NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 14 Fighting Illini return to Atkins Tennis Center to host a pair of competitive non-conference opponents. On Friday, Illinois will host SEC opponent, Kentucky Wildcats, and welcome No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night for a top-15 matchup. Both matches will begin at 6 pm CT. The 2015 season was the last time the Orange and Blue defeated both the Wildcats and Tar Heels at home. Illinois won a close contest against UNC, 4-3, while the Illini blanked Kentucky, 7-0.
Marketing Promos and Giveaways – Pack Atkins Night and Hail to the Orange Night
Help the Illini "Pack Atkins" with at least 800 fans on Friday night against Kentucky at 6 p.m. CT. The first 125 students will receive ILL crew socks and Portillo's will provide food for the night. The following night we are celebrating the Orange and Blue with a Hail to the Orange theme. The first 100 fans will receive Hail to the Orange t-shirts. Buffalo Wild Wings (B-Dubs) will be providing some tasty wings and food.
Scouting the Opposition
- Kentucky (4-3): In his seventh season as the Kentucky Wildcats head coach, former Wildcat player Cedric Kauffman was named the 12th men's tennis head coach in program history on July 25, 2012 after the retirement of 30-year head coach Dennis Emery…. He has led Kentucky to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Sweet 16 twice in his first two seasons in 2013 and 2014… Kauffmann has also led the Wildcats to top-30 finishes in five of his six seasons – all the last three… He has an overall record of 108-73 and 37-35 in the Southeastern Conference… Last season, the Wildcats went 7-5 in the SEC with signature wins over defending three-time national champion Virginia and seventh-ranked Illinois that helped them achieve a final ITA national ranking of 22… All-American Ryo Matsumura leads the young squad that includes five freshman and Eastern Kentucky transfer, Parth Aggarwal.
- No. 8 North Carolina (4-1): Now in his 26th season as North Carolina's head coach, Sam Paul is the winningest coach in program in history with a 472-202 record and more active wins than any ACC coach… He has led UNC to new heights in recent years, with the team's first national championship and first No. 1 ranking coming in 2016… Since he became an assistant coach at UNC in 1989, the Tar Heels have had players earn first-team All-America honors 30 times and led the nation in 2016 with five players earning All-America honors... Garnering many coaching honors, Paul was the 2017 Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year and is a six-time ACC Coach of the Year… The Tar Heels have earned NCAA Tournament bids in 23 of Paul's 25 years as head coach… The Tar Heels are coming off a 24-6 season in 2017-18, when they finished ranked sixth nationally… The team is led by two-time All-America honoree William Blumberg and 2017 All-NCAA Tournament Team member Blaine Boyden. 2018 ACC Freshman of the Year Benjamin Sigouin also adds depth to the lineup.
Last Time Out
No. 14 Illinois men's tennis defeated the No. 11-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 4-3 on Wednesday night at Eck Tennis Pavilion. Picking up their first road win, the Illini remain undefeated going into their homestand on Friday night.
The Illini gained the advantage early, winning the doubles point. Junior Aleks Kovacevic and freshman Keenan Mayo clinched the doubles point for Illinois, 6-4, to put the Illini on the board, 1-0. In singles play, Notre Dame had a fast start, capturing victories on courts one, four, and six. With junior Zeke Clark and sophomore Caleb Chakravarthi tying up the match 3-3, the victory was put into the hands of former Big Ten Tennis Player of the Week, Kovacevic. The junior clinched the victory with a three-setter win over No. 74 Richard Ciamarra, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
Illini Lineup Returns
Illinois returns eight players from the 2017-18 squad, including six letterwinners. Without any seniors on the team, the Illini juniors Vuk Budic, Zeke Clark, Gui Gomes, Noe Khlif, and Aleks Kovacevic will provide leadership and guidance for the team. With a year under their belt, sophomore duo Alex Brown and Caleb Chakravarthi will add depth to the Illini lineup.
Newcomers
Head Coach Brad Dancer adds four freshmen to the program – Lucas Horve (Forsyth, Ill.), Keenan Mayo (Long Beach, Calif.), Siphosothando Montsi (East London, South Africa), and early enrollee Alex Bancila (Lake Bluff, Ill.). Local five-star recruits, Horve and Bancila, along with Mayo and Montsi are excepted to make an immediate impact for the Illini after successful ITF junior careers.
In the Rankings
For the fourth week this season, the Illini remain in the top 20 of the ITA team rankings. Moving, up one spot this week, the No. 14 Illinois are coming off of an exciting win against No. 11 Notre Dame. In the first individual rankings since the fall season, five Illini are ranked in singles play with three earning career-high rankings. Breaking into the top 30, sophomore Alex Brown sits at No. 23, while junior Aleks Kovacevic moved up 20 spots at No. 24, and junior Zeke Clark bests his career-high rank by 53 spots at No. 30. For the first time in his career, sophomore Caleb Chakravarthi breaks into the singles rankings at No. 116, while freshman Keenan Mayo sits at No. 125 to round out the field.
Next Serve
The No. 14 Fighting Illini head to the Windy City for a packed filled week of tennis as the Orange and Blue host No. 7 UCLA for a dual, before commencing the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Friday, Feb. 15 at Midtown Athletic Club in Chicago, Ill. 15 years ago, the Illini defeated the Bruins to win the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in 2004. Illinois swept then No. 6 UCLA, 4-0.
In its 44th year of existence, this will be the fifth time the Orange and Blue has hosted ITA Indoors with the last being in 2015. As the host site, Illinois received an automatic bid to the event and was exempt from competing in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Illini have won the team championship twice in program history (2003, 2004). The entire field is ranked in the top 25 of the ITA national rankings, with the reigning NCAA Champions Wake Forest leading the way at No. 1.
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