PREVIEW
The No. 12 Fighting Illini return to Atkins Tennis Center for their first dual matches of 2020 as part of the ITA Kickoff Weekend. Texas Tech and Michigan get the action started at 2 p.m. Friday before Illinois takes on Ole Miss at 6 p.m.
The winners of Friday's matches will square off at 6 p.m. Saturday. The losers will play at 1 p.m. Saturday. The winner of Saturday evening's match advances to the ITA National Indoor Championships in Madison, Wisconsin, from February 14-17.
PROMOTIONS - STAR WARS NIGHT
Join the Illini in a galaxy far, far away for Star Wars night on Friday as the home squad takes on Ole Miss. Unlike Star Wars, the Rebels are the bad guys in this epsiode. Customize your own lightsaber and enjoy complimentary Jimmy John's
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Ole Miss (4-0): The Rebels are undefeated to start the spring, having swept a January 15 doubleheader against North Alabama by identical 4-0 scores and defeated both Belmont and Jackson State 7-0 on January 19… No. 35 Tim Sandkaulen is Mississippi's lone representative in the ITA singles rankings… Sandkaulen is 2-0 at No. 1 singles in 2020… Jan Soren Hain saw time in the No. 1 slot agaist North Alabama… Sandkaulen is the lone senior on a roster that features three sophomores and two freshmen… Ole Miss has made 26 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, tied for the fifth-longest streak in the country
No. 20 Michigan (2-1): The Wolverines opened dual match season with a 4-3 home loss to then-No. 23 NC State but have won their last two matches by scores of 7-0 at Washington and 5-2 at Oregon… No. 78 Andrew Fenty and No. 94 Ondrej Styler represent Michigan in the ITA singles rankings, and Fenty joins Mattias Siimar as the No. 5 doubles pair... Fenty is 2-1 at No. 1 singles for Michigan… Mattias Siimar is 3-0 at No. 3 singles… Fenty/Siimar are 3-0 at No. doubles, and Styler and Connor Johnston are 3-0 at No. 2… Adam Steinberg is in his sixth season as head coach at Michigan, having led the Wolverines to four straight NCAA Tournaments
Texas Tech (3-0): The Red Raiders enter ITA Kickoff Weekend undefeated at 3-0, having defeated Iowa 4-3, Texas-Rio Grande Valley 7-0, and Abilene Christian 4-3… No. 69 Ilgiz Valiev and No. 114 Reed Collier represent Texas Tech in the ITA singles rankings... Isaac Arevalo, Parker Wynn, and Valiev have all seen action in the No. 1 singles slot, with Arevalo earning the lone win… Daniel Whitehead is in his first season as the Red Raiders' head coach with Todd Petty the newly-appointed Director of Tennis
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