After starting the fall season at a hectic pace, the Illinois men’s tennis team will get back to business today at the Icy Hot/Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn.

“Getting back to competition this week is going to be fun for us and also something that everyone is looking forward to,” said Illinois head coach Craig Tiley.

Five men will represent the Illini this week at the invitation-only tournament: senior Chris Martin, juniors Pramod Dabir and Ryler DeHeart, sophomore GD Jones and freshman Monte Tucker.

“They’re all getting kind of amped for their second opportunity (to play), and I’m just excited to go down there and get some wins,” said Illinois associate head coach Brad Dancer.

Although several other athletes on the team qualified for the tournament, only the men who received bids into today’s qualifying tournament or the main draw that begins Thursday will compete in the event. DeHeart and Jones qualified for the main draw of doubles. Martin, who was originally an alternate, received a bid into the main draw of the singles tournament, when another athlete was forced to withdraw from competition.

“It’s great that Chris doesn’t have to play those two tough matches to get into the main draw now,” Tiley said.

Still, the Illini contingent is a large one, especially in a tournament that emphasizes individual performances instead of team dominance. By the tournament’s end, the ITA will crown the first national singles and doubles champions of the competitive year. In 2002, the doubles title went to Illinois’ Michael Calkins and Amer Delic. This year, DeHeart and Jones are the highest-seeded Illini doubles pair.

“Essentially, being the No.1 doubles team going in doesn’t mean a lot,” Jones said. “But it is nice that we’ve played a lot together and have a good combination going and we can be confident in having success going in.”

Jones and DeHeart were consistent for the Illini last season, finishing the year 18-1. They start the season at No. 17.

“As far as being ranked, we’re the only team (at Illinois) that has ever played together going in,” Jones said. “That is the only reason that we’re ranked, so it doesn’t really mean much.”

Still, Jones said he is excited. This is, after all, his first individual college tournament. Last season, he joined the team in January, missing the Illini’s fall season. The Napa Valley Invitational in September was in a round-robin format, which was more team-oriented, even though no team scores were kept.

Dancer, whose last team trip took an near-fatal turn when a car accident landed the coach in the hospital before the tournament began, said he is excited to travel with the team and work with a smaller group of athletes in a more intimate setting.

“We’ve got five different guys going down and (they have) five different goals,” Dancer said. “That’s the beauty of the fall; it really is a time for the guys to say, ‘What can I do to improve my game and take it to the next level?'”