University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Face 13th-Ranked Illinois in First Road Tilt
February 06, 2009 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 6, 2009
The eighth-ranked and undefeated Tennessee men's tennis team will play its first road match of the season Saturday night against 13th-ranked Illinois at 7 p.m. ET in the Atkins Tennis Center.
"Illinois is a hard place to play," UT associate head coach Chris Woodruff said. "They have one of the best home-court advantages in all of college tennis and will offer our guys a real test. At the same time, (head coach) Sam (Winterbotham) and I feel this is a great opportunity and gives us a head start on road matches in the SEC, which are always difficult as well. I think our team is ready for the challenge."
Last season, the Vols defeated Illinois 4-3 at UT's Goodfriend Indoor Tennis Center. Illinois, ranked eighth at the time, was the first top-10 foe Tennessee had defeated since 2005. The Vols were led by John-Patrick Smith, who had one of his biggest wins of the season with a three-set decision over15th-ranked Ryan Rowe.
This season, Smith, currently ranked 50th, will sneak up on no opponents. The Australia native was named SEC Player of the Week Tuesday after leading UT to its four victories of the season and also winning the SEC Coaches' Indoor singles and doubles crowns.
Christian Hansen was named SEC Freshman of the Week. The Germany native clinched UT's 4-3 win over Louisville with a come-from-behind win at the No. 6 position. Hansen is 4-0 in dual-match play.
The 13th-ranked Illinois men's tennis team has started the season with a 3-1 record. The Illini have four players in the individual rankings led by sophomore Roy Kalmanovich at No. 23, freshman Dennis Nevolo is ranked 41st, while senior Marc Spicijaric is 102nd and junior Meedo El Tabakh is 114th
Live scoring for the match can be found at utsports.com.
Players Mentioned
