Ruben Gonzales has waited months for this weekend. For the first time this year, the freshman will be able to compete for the Illinois men’s tennis team.

“He’s like a kid in a candy store right now,” said Illinois head coach Craig Tiley.

Gonzales had to wait to practice or compete for Illinois until his eligibility was granted by the NCAA Clearinghouse, which determines athletes’ academic eligibility.

Right now, Gonzales said, he just wants to start playing. He will get his chance to suit up for the Illini Friday at the UNLV Fall Classic.

The tournament features select athletes from seven schools. Illinois senior Evan Zeder and freshman Andrew Eklov will round out the Illini contingent at the event. Fresno State, Portland, Utah, Tennessee, East Tennessee State and host UNLV will also have representatives at the event.

“It’s going to be tough,” Tiley said. “There are going to be good players (there). Evan is going to show them the ropes and I expect them to go out there, show improvement and come back with decent results.”

Although Zeder is the oldest member of the contingent competing, Eklov has additional experience that might become a factor in the tournament. He has competed at UNLV before, in high school, and said he has usually been happy with his results there.

He is also excited to be close to his hometown of Manhattan Beach, Calif. Both of his parents are planning to watch him compete this weekend.

Unlike some athletes who get nervous when their parents watch them compete, Eklov considers it a plus.

“Since they haven’t been around for a while it will be nice to have them watch me,” he said.

Zeder said he is looking forward to the tournament too, but for different reasons than his younger counterparts. He is excited to see some teams Illinois does not usually face during the regular season. He also wants to get in more match experience.

“You can only put so much pressure on yourself in practice,” Zeder said. “When you get to matches is when you can really start focusing on pressure situations.”

Tiley hopes to see improvement as well.

“They work hard on some technical aspects during the week and then compete on the weekends,” Tiley said. “That is why we have this many tournaments lined up.”

Gonzales, though, will mostly focus on having fun and doing his best, he said.

Zeder is sure he will succeed.

“He’s going to have a lot of fun out there, playing his first matches for us,” Zeder said.