Chris Martin, Conner Murninghan and Evan Zeder have been part of one of the most-exciting times in Illinois tennis – including being part of teams that have combined to win three Big Ten and three national titles. This weekend, the Illinois tennis team will honor the three seniors and say good-bye to men that have helped not only the teams they were a part of, but also have shaped the future of the Illinois tennis program.

“It is different because I think people looked at this year as more of a rebuilding year for us,” Zeder said.

But it has been far from a stereotypical rebuilding year. The Illini advanced to the semifinals of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Indoor Team tournament. Illinois has also pulled out tough wins against powerhouses in the Pac-10 such Stanford and USC, as well as taking defending NCAA champion Baylor to a 4-3 match.

This weekend, Illinois head coach Craig Tiley expects his team to continue its winning streak in fashion, sending out the senior class with victories over Northwestern and Wisconsin.

“If we don’t dominate these matches, then we’re not finding ways to improve, and that is what we need to do this weekend,” Tiley said.

The Illini take on in-state rival Northwestern on Saturday at noon at the Atkins Tennis Center. Wisconsin comes to Illinois on Sunday at noon as well. Both teams are unranked, although Northwestern’s Chuck Perrin was named the Big Ten Player of the Week this week. The Wildcats and the Badgers are also coming off recent Big Ten wins over Minnesota – a traditionally strong school within the conference.

“It’ll be fun to get out there,” Murninghan said. “I can’t wait; my family gets to see me play, and I get to hang out with them. We’ll be celebrating both me being a senior and my mom being down here as well for Mom’s Weekend.”

Although this year’s team has been quite different than the other teams the seniors have been a part of, the men said they have enjoyed the season and its many road trips, cookouts and exciting matches.

“There have been a lot of close matches this season, and we’ve been on top of most of them,” Zeder said. “It’s basically going to come down to making the great memories at the end of the year.”

Tiley said he knows this year’s senior class will always be remembered for the mark they have left on the program – however, no one has shaped the program in the same way as Martin.

“Chris, in my opinion, has been the biggest contributor that we’ve ever had – in everything,” Tiley said.

The other Illini athletes are also looking forward to celebrating the seniors’ last matches at home during the regular season, said Illinois junior Pramod Dabir. The Illini will host the Big Ten Tournament starting April 28 and several of the seniors could be playing then.

“(The seniors) keep us motivated and keep things light-hearted,” Dabir said. “They’ve showed me how to have a good time and enjoy the four years here. They give us some guidance when things are going rough and tell us the things they have been through – they have a lot of hindsight.”