The Illinois men’s tennis team will return to the Atkins Tennis Center for the first time since its 7-0 victory over Florida on Feb. 2 on Sunday when the men take on No. 28 Ohio State.

Both the Illini and the Buckeyes are undefeated in the Big Ten Conference and hope to maintain their perfect records. The Illinois athletes expect a heated match as well – when the teams played last year during the regular season, the Illini defeated the Buckeyes 4-3.

“Even before I was a freshman, they were one of the best teams in the conference,” said Illinois senior Chris Martin. “It’s going to be a tough match; they play with a lot of energy and passion.”

However, the Illini are confident they can pull out a victory with the support of their fans. Illinois has also had some experience playing against tough competition lately – two of the last three matches Illinois played, the team won by one point. The other match they dropped 5-2.

“We can’t wait to play at home again,” Martin said. “We’ve played in some hostile environments and are excited to have the fans on our side again.”

Illinois associate head coach Brad Dancer said the men will have to start playing more aggressively to remain undefeated in the Big Ten though.

“We’ve gone into protection mode a little bit – they’re playing too careful,” Dancer said.

Among the Buckeyes most powerful weapons are their skilled doubles players. Illinois struggled with doubles early in the season, but won the point against Stanford, which was key to the team’s victory.

Winning the doubles point might be more difficult Sunday because of Ohio State’s dominance in doubles. Junior Scott Green and Ross Wilson are No.1 in the nation in doubles. The men also won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA)/Icy Hot All-American Championships in October, the first of three national titles that college athletes can earn in a competitive season. Wilson and Ohio State freshman Drew Eberly are No. 26 in doubles when they compete together.

However, the Illini will fight back with their No. 9 doubles tandem of sophomore GD Jones and junior Ryler DeHeart. Jones, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, and DeHeart defeated defending NCAA Champions Sam Warburg and KC Corkery at Stanford on Tuesday.

“It’s exciting to play against another good opponent in the Big Ten,” DeHeart said. “We always battle with them – and we’re ready to prove that we’re the dominant team in the conference.”

Illinois is expected to have the advantage in singles, though. Three of the Illini are in the nation’s top 30. The highest-ranked singles player for the Buckeyes is sophomore Joey Atas, who is No. 46.

Jones, who earned the first Big Ten Player of the Week award of his career for his performance during the team’s trip to California, is excited about the upcoming competition, as well. However, he said he would hardly call the match a “heated rivalry.”

“It’s not really a rivalry because they haven’t beaten us recently,” Jones said. “They have a lot more bark than bite. They have a lot of players that we’ll be more than happy to beat up on.”