The Illinois men’s tennis team begins their drive for their third-straight Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Indoor Team Championship against Kentucky at the Mid-Town Tennis Center in Chicago at 6 p.m.

“Everyone says we’re defending the national title, but I don’t think we are,” said Illinois head coach Craig Tiley. “We have a different group than we had last year, so we’re trying to win the national title.”

Tiley’s team is one of the youngest in the nation, featuring six freshmen. However, the young Illini have proven that they will not crumble under pressure or let their youth hinder them. Last weekend, with four freshmen in the singles lineup, Illinois defeated then-No.3 Florida 7-0. Illinois moved into the No. 3 spot in the national rankings Tuesday.

“We had a statement to make against Florida, and we made it,” said Illinois freshman Monte Tucker.

The young Illini have startled quite a few people with their poise under pressure, including their teammates.

“My freshmen year, I felt a good amount of pressure and like I had to prove myself going out there (to play),” said Illinois junior Pramod Dabir, who returned to the team’s lineup on Saturday after spraining his ankle on Jan. 28. “But these freshmen have definitely gone out there and proved already that they can play with the big boys.”

Although some members of the freshman class admit that there is some pressure to help the team carry on its tradition, others are taking the tournament in stride. Freshman Kevin Anderson, who has played in the Davis Cup competition for his native South Africa, is using the tournament to gauge how he will compete against the nation’s top collegians.

“I don’t mind being nervous, it gets me going and gets me through the first few games,” Anderson said. “Then, I just settle down and get into my stride and keep it going.”

The Illini will face an uphill battle during the first round of the tournament too. Illinois narrowly defeated the Wildcats, 4-3, at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex last season. Tiley said the team is much improved over last season, and with the slower tennis courts, the Wildcats might have a slight advantage.

“They’re going to be difficult to beat, they always are,” Tiley said. “We have our work cut out for us that first match – that’ll be a tough one. If we can pass that, then I think it will help us the rest of the way, but that will be a tough match for us to win.”

After the first match, the tournament does not get any easier. Defending NCAA Champion Baylor will be in attendance and No. 2 UCLA will compete as well.

Thirteen of the top 20 singles players and six of the top 10 doubles teams will be in Chicago. If the Illini win the tournament, however, their success will be almost unprecedented. Illinois was the first school from the Midwest to win the title when they first won it in 2003. The Illini were also the first team to win the title from outside of California since SMU won in 1983.

If the Illini win the title this year, they will be only the second team in history to win the tournament three consecutive times. Stanford is the only team that has won three straight titles. The Cardinal won the first three ITA National Indoor Team titles beginning in 1973.

“We have to go up there and prove ourselves again, time and time again,” Dabir said. “We’re not trying to impress anybody. We’re not trying to prove anything to anybody else but ourselves about how we believe we can play out there.”