There have been many changes at the Atkins Tennis Center since the Illinois men’s tennis team won their first Big Ten regular season title.

That year, the men received a welcome reception when they returned. They were honored at the basketball and football games. Illinois head men’s tennis coach Craig Tiley’s e-mail was flooded with notes congratulating the team, and his mailbox was filled with letters.

This season, Illinois clinched their ninth consecutive Big Ten regular season title.

There were no parades, no victory celebrations and few congratulations.

The 2005 banner commemorating the team’s accomplishments will still have its place in the rafters of the Atkins Tennis Center, but Tiley said the success of his team – and its uniqueness – should not be overlooked when it hosts the Big Ten Tournament this weekend.

“We try to teach our kids not to take (winning) for granted, and I don’t think anyone else should take it for granted,” Tiley said. “It takes hard work and it becomes more and more difficult every year, but our goals should always remain high.”

The team’s goals will stay the same, as they have in the past, when the men take on Michigan State today at 10 a.m. at the Atkins Tennis Center.

They want to keep their new home winning streak that they started in April alive. The men are determined not to let another team win the Big Ten Tournament title on their home courts.

“I think we expect to win, that we demand of ourselves that we will win,” said Illinois sophomore GD Jones.

This Illini team is different than many of the teams Tiley has coached in recent years. There are no superstars.

Illinois junior Ryler DeHeart won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Indoor Singles Championship. But it was Jones who defeated defending NCAA Champion Benjamin Becker when the team took on Baylor. Freshman Ruben Gonzales is undefeated in Big Ten play. But it is senior Chris Martin who holds the team together – despite being sidelined during the early part of the season with injuries.

These Illini have struggled though.

It has been rare that the entire team has been healthy at the same time and, Tiley said, this weekend will be no exception.

These Illini have had more close calls, too.

Illinois has won three 4-3 matches. They have lost two. There have been less 7-0 sweeps of teams. But the members of the team do not feel this is a disappointment or a weakness.

They feel battle-tested and prepared. These Illini say that despite the obstacles they have faced, they are not willing to lose.

“It’s a good confidence boost going in (to have beaten Minnesota 4-3 last weekend),” Jones said. “I think the close matches have been a good thing for us.”

The time off from competition on Thursday, when the majority of other teams competed, has been important, too. It has been a long season for the Illini, DeHeart said, and the team used the time to rejuvenate. Now they are ready to begin competition.

“We have to go out with the same attitude from the start – that we’re going to go out and we’re going to dominate from the start,” DeHeart said. “It doesn’t really matter who we play.”