Illinois Closes Home Slate Against #4 Ohio State, Penn State

Friday, April 11

Urbana, Ill.

6 PM CT

University of Illinois

#4 Ohio State

Illinois Closes Home Slate Against #4 Ohio State, Penn State

April 10, 2025 | Men's Tennis

PREVIEW

Matches 21+22: #27 Illinois vs. #4 Ohio State, Penn State
Matches 21+22	vs. No. 4 Ohio State // vs. Penn State
Date	Friday, April 11, 6 p.m. CT // Saturday, April 12, 6 p.m. CT
Location	Urbana, Ill.
Links	Live Stats // Live Streams
Friday Promotions	Free food while supplies last
Saturday Promotions	Senior Night // KAMS wristbands for first 150 fans // Art Mart wine pull
Notes/Record Book	Illinois Match Notes // 2025 Record Book
Illinois	Roster \| Schedule \| Season Stats
Shop	Fighting Illini Store
Social Media	X \| Instagram \| Facebook

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After spending the last two weekends on the road, Illinois closes its home schedule with matches against No. 4 Ohio State and Penn State. The Fighting Illini are set to host the Buckeyes on Friday at 6 p.m. CT before playing Penn State on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT for Senior Night.

The Orange and Blue are 12-8 overall with a 5-4 Big Ten record heading into their final home matches of the 2025 regular season.

LAST TIME OUT

No. 24 Illinois dropped its road dual at Michigan State, 4-0, on Sunday afternoon (April 6) at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.

The Spartans registered the doubles point via wins at No. 1 and 3, giving the home side a 1-0 edge heading into singles play. William Mroz and Zach Viiala were knotted at 4-4 in the unfinished contest at No. 2. Michigan State used straight-set victories at No. 5 and 6 singles to extend their lead and move within one point of clinching the match. With each of the four remaining courts in progress in the third set, the Spartans ultimately closed out their team triumph at No. 3 singles.

In a top-30 battle on the top singles court, No. 16 Kenta Miyoshi battled No. 28 Aristotelis Thanos. With the sides tied at 4-4 in the first set, Miyoshi held serve in the ninth game before breaking in the tenth to take the opening frame, 6-4. The Spartan redshirt sophomore bounced back by winning the second set, 7-6(4), and the sides were even at 2-2 in the third frame, which ultimately went unfinished.

Playing his highest-ranked opponent of the spring thus far, No. 64 William Mroz faced off with No. 10 Ozan Baris at No. 2 singles. With both players holding serve through the first nine games, Mroz came through with a break in the 10th game to claim the opening frame, 6-4. The Illini redshirt junior got broken for the first time in the ninth game of the second set, and Baris served out the frame to force a third set. Mroz had multiple match points in the final frame but could not close it out, with the set entering into a tiebreak before going unfinished.

At No. 4 singles, Zach Viiala took on No. 91 Matthew Forbes in a battle of two underclassmen. The Spartan freshman secured the opening set, 7-5, but Viiala answered in the second frame, breaking in the fifth and ninth games to force a third set. The Illini redshirt freshman held a 6-5 advantage in the final frame before the Spartans clinched the match at No. 3 singles.

ABOUT NO. 4 OHIO STATE, PENN STATE

Ohio State rides a 13-match winning streak into Friday's dual with a 20-2 overall record and an unblemished 9-0 mark in conference play. The Buckeyes are coming off back-to-back sweeps against UCLA and USC last weekend, which saw OSU solidify its spot atop the Big Ten standings.

Friday's dual marks the second meeting between Illinois and Ohio State this season; the Buckeyes posted a 4-0 win over the Illini in Columbus on March 5. Since then, Ohio State has not lost, with the team's last defeat dating back to a 4-2 loss against then-No. 21 UCF on Feb. 14 at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. The Buckeyes are 6-1 in true road matches this spring, with that lone loss coming in a 4-3 defeat at No. 4 Wake Forest, which is currently 32-0 and the top-ranked team in the country.

Ohio State has three players in the most recent ITA singles rankings: No. 10 Aidan Kim, No. 60 Alex Bernard, and No. 92 Jack Anthrop. William Jansen and Bryce Nakashima are the Buckeyes' lone ranked doubles team, checking in at No. 60.

Heading into the weekend, Penn State is 12-11 overall and still looking for its first conference win of the season with an 0-9 record in Big Ten play. Despite their struggles against league opponents, the Nittany Lions are coming off a 7-0 win over Mercyhurst on Sunday, which snapped the team's 10-match skid.

PSU makes the trip west with an 0-7 mark away from home, with the program's last road win coming on April 19 in a 4-3 triumph at Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions were within a point of an away victory in a 4-3 loss at Michigan State on March 29, though four of their seven road losses have come in the form of a sweep.

Penn State has one ranked singles player, No. 55 Loren Byers, who is 10-5 during dual play this spring.

SERIES HISTORY

Ohio State narrowly leads the all-time series, with the Buckeyes winning the nonconference matchup between the sides in March. The Illini are looking for their first win in the series since the 2020-21 campaign, when the Orange and Blue defeated the Buckeyes, 4-3, in the championship match of the Big Ten Tournament on May 2, 2021.

Illinois holds a commanding 39-5 advantage in the all-time series against Penn State, with the Illini winning the last 10 meetings. The Nittany Lions last defeated Illinois during the 2015-16 season (April 22, 2016), while Penn State has prevailed over the Illini on the road only once in program history: a 5-2 victory on April 10, 1993.

DANCER EARNS CONTRACT EXTENSION THROUGH 2031

Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman has announced a contract extension for longtime Fighting Illini men's tennis head coach Brad Dancer. The new agreement keeps Dancer on contract through the 2030-31 season

"Brad Dancer is a trusted, veteran leader in our athletics department and one of the most accomplished coaches throughout all of collegiate tennis, and we are thrilled to extend our partnership through the next six years as he continues to lead a championship-caliber men's tennis program," Whitman said. "Brad is a relentless competitor who inspires his athletes and is committed to their development both on and off the court. Despite decades of success, he is never complacent, exhausting every avenue each day to push his team to new heights. We are grateful to Brad and his family for becoming ingrained into the fabric of the University of Illinois community, and we look forward to many more successful years for Fighting Illini Men's Tennis.

Currently in his 20th season as head coach and 21st campaign overall at Illinois, Dancer has guided the Orange and Blue to 17 NCAA Tournament berths, 11 Sweet 16 appearances, three Big Ten Tournament titles, and two Big Ten regular-season conference championships, building on the program's longstanding winning tradition.

Since taking over as head coach on June 28, 2005, Dancer has become the Illinois men's tennis program's all-time winningest coach while currently ranking as the eighth-winningest coach in Big Ten history. A two-time ITA Regional Coach of the Year, Dancer has coached 28 All-Americans, 42 All-Big Ten honorees, four Big Ten Players of the Year, and two Big Ten Freshmen of the Year during his tenure with the Orange and Blue.

Dancer holds a record of 386-182 overall and 160-42 in Big Ten play during his time at the helm of the Fighting Illini, with his overall wins and conference victories both ranking first in program history.

ILLINI EARN FIRST TOP-25 WIN OF SEASON, DEFEAT NO. 12 MICHIGAN

No. 20 Illinois recorded its first ranked win of the spring with a 5-2 victory over No. 12 Michigan at Atkins Tennis Center on Feb. 22.

Despite dropping the first set on five singles courts, the Illini fought back to win four singles matches while claiming the doubles point for the second time this season.

Illinois secured the doubles point behind wins at No. 2 and 3. Mathis Debru and Max Mroz, teaming up for the first time this spring, were the first to finish and earned a 6-2 victory at No. 3 doubles. Kenta Miyoshi and William Mroz were not far behind at No. 2 doubles, posting a 6-4 win to take the doubles point for the Illini.

Miyoshi recorded the team's first singles win of the night with a 7-6(4), 6-3 triumph at No. 1 against No. 55 Benjamin Kittay, marking the Illini junior's third ranked win of the dual season.

Zach Viiala was the next to finish with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 6 singles, and Debru ultimately clinched the Orange and Blue's win with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory on Court 5. With the sides agreeing to play out the match, Will Mroz closed the night with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 triumph at No. 2 singles and completed the 5-2 ranked win.

MIYOSHI EARNS ITA SINGLES ALL-AMERICAN STATUS

Illinois junior Kenta Miyoshi earned ITA All-America status during his first-ever appearance at the NCAA Singles Championship, advancing to the singles third round at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas. Miyoshi represented the Fighting Illini men's tennis program at the event, which moved from the spring to the fall for the first time.

Miyoshi picked up two straight-set ranked wins en route to securing Singles All-America honors for the first time in his career before falling in the third round on Nov. 19.