Underdogs usually are not confident heading into tough matches, but the Illinois men’s tennis team is rarely the underdog in a contest.

On Saturday the team hosts No. 3 Florida at 6 p.m., and Illinois head coach Craig Tiley is confident that his team will play well. In fact, he said, he is feeling better about this match than last weekend’s matches when the undefeated Illini took on then-No. 9 Duke and then-No. 34 Texas.

“Whether they can repeat (last weekend’s performance) remains to be seen,” Tiley said. “The big thing is not what you did the one weekend, but how consistent you can be over the entire semester.”

Although Illinois responded well to the pressure last weekend, this match might be more intense. Florida senior Hamid Mirzadeh is a three-time All-American, and other Gators have earned All-American recognition.

But the team’s experience does not scare the Illini.

“We know what we’re up against,” said Illinois junior Ryler DeHeart. “We’re not facing anyone that we don’t know or anyone new. If anything it might be to our advantage a little bit because we have some new guys and they don’t know what they’re up against.”

Enter Illinois’ powerful freshman class.

Freshmen Kevin Anderson, Ryan Rowe and Ruben Gonzales are undefeated in singles this season. Anderson was named Big Ten Player of the Week yesterday for his performance last weekend, which included two singles victories over ranked opponents and a doubles victory over the No. 15 doubles team of Jonathan Stokke and Peter Rodrigues 9-8 (3) from Duke. His doubles victory was especially significant because he and DeHeart had only practiced together once before the Friday night match. Freshman Monte Tucker, who clinched the Illini’s victory against Duke last week, will be critical to the team’s success. Tucker has a reputation among his teammates and coaches for being cool under pressure.

“We’re just going to approach the match the same way and just go out and play,” Gonzales said. “You should play the same no matter who you’re playing.”

It does not matter to the Illini who is in their own line-up either. The loss of three All-Americans to graduation and two starters to illness has not stopped one of the most well-known teams in college tennis.

“We may have lost some guys, but we haven’t fallen behind,” said Illinois senior Evan Zeder. “We’re still a top team and we still go out there expecting to win every match.”

It is easier to understand the team’s confidence when it plays at home. The Illini have not lost a match at home since 2002. Since then, they have compiled a 34-0 record at the Atkins Tennis Center. But the men do not regularly think about that streak, instead they concentrate on getting fans to their matches and performing once they are on the court.

Rowe, who joined the team in January, used the home court to his advantage his first time on the court. This weekend, he expects the crowd to be more intense, and to perform better. His maternal grandparents will be on hand for the weekend as well. They have not seen him play tennis for several years.

“It was a very good environment for me and I used it well,” Rowe said of last weekend’s home court advantage. “I’ll have more energy because I’ll be playing in front of my grandparents and I want to show them how I’ve improved over the years.”

Tiley has been pleased with the men’s improvement since the beginning of the season.

“If they don’t get wrapped up in the fact that it is going to be a tight, close match (the team will be okay),” Tiley said. “Florida could come in here and play great and beat some of our guys handily, but on the other hand we could turn that around and beat them. I like our chances – I think they’re pretty good.”