PREVIEW
The Fighting Illini begin Big Ten play this weekend with a pair of matches, first on the road against Northwestern on Saturday and then at home against Purdue on Sunday.
The Illini have faced a tough non-conference schedule to start the season, as the No. 23 Wildcats will be the fifth ranked opponent in Illinois' last seven matches. Ten of the top 25 teams in the latest ITA rankings are on the spring schedule for the Illini, including seven of the current top 11.
Saturday's match will be the first road contest for Illinois in over a month. Illinois returns home from its first action away from Atkins Tennis Center since Feburary 1 to face a Purdue squad over which it holds a commanding series lead. The Boilermakers have a respectable 8-4 record on the season, but the Illini have historically dominated the squad from West Lafayette with a 102-11-1 advantage. Purdue has not beaten the Illini in Champaign-Urbana since the 1986 season.
PROMOTIONS
Sunday's match features a Hawaiian Day theme, as fans are encouraged to wear their best flowered shirts and leis to Atkins Tennis Center. Giveaways feature an I-N-I sock, corresponding to the I-L-L sock to be given away at the women's match at noon. Fans can enjoy Jimmy John's and enter a raffle for the chance to win tickets to the Price is Right live from the State Farm Center on March 12th.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Northwestern (8-4, 0-0): The Wildcats are 8-4 after sweeping a doubleheader against Columbia and UIC last Saturday in Evanston... All four of Northwestern's losses have come to teams currently in the top 25... Dominik Stary is the lone Wildcat in the ITA individual rankings at No. 70... Northwestern is 195-131 under Arvid Swan
Purdue (8-4, 0-1): The Boilermakers split a doubleheader with Drake and Cleveland State on Sunday to bring their record to 8-4 on the season... Purdue opened the Big Ten schedule with a 4-1 loss to Indiana on February 22... Two of Purdue's losses have come to top-10 teams in then-No. 6 Ohio State (4-0) at the ITA Kickoff Weekend and to then-No. 3 Florida (6-1)... Athell Bennett is the only ranked singles player on Purdue's roster at No. 24... The Boilermakers are 138-144 under Pawel Gajdzik
CLOSING IN ON 300
Head coach Brad Dancer's next win will be his 300th at the helm of the Fighting Illini. Dancer became the winningest coach in Illinois history in 2018, passing legend Craig Tiley.
IN THE RANKINGS
Illinois is No. 47 in the latest ITA team rankings, released on March 3. Individually, three Illini are featured in the ITA singles rankings, including junior Alex Brown (15), senior Aleks Kovacevic (41), and sophomore Siphosothando Montsi (64). In doubles, Brown and Kovacevic are ranked No. 25 nationally. Brown and redshirt junior Gui Gomes come in at No. 34
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois lost 4-3 at home to No. 21 Baylor on Saturday. Senior Aleks Kovacevic earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Bears, defeating No. 30 singles player Sven Lah and teaming up with junior Alex Brown to knock off Lah and Constantin Frantzen, the No. 9 doubles team in the country.
