Illinois has won the last 12 matches against Purdue, but the men’s tennis team is taking nothing for granted when the Boilermakers enter the Atkins Tennis Center at 6 p.m.

Tonight’s match will be Illinois’ first since it handed Penn State a 7-0 loss Feb. 26. Purdue defeated Indiana 5-2 in its last outing as well.

“When we have eight days off, it feels like an absolute eternity,” said Illinois head coach Brad Dancer. “I’m ready to coach again and I think the guys are ready to play again.”

Illinois may benefit from the team’s break this weekend. It gave several athletes time to recover and rest.

Illini sophomore Ryan Rowe said that the men needed the mental break from competition as well as time for physical recovery. He does not, however, expect a mental let down and said the team will be ready for the night’s competition.

“We’ll do what we can and come out firing,” Rowe said. “If we come out firing in the doubles, we’ll be firing the rest of the match.”

Rowe and sophomore Kevin Anderson are the Illini’s top doubles team and are the fifth-ranked tandem in the country. But Dancer said the Illini might try some different doubles combinations to test different athletes’ abilities and how different teams respond to each other. Purdue’s highest-ranked doubles tandem is the No. 50 team of junior Eric Hodgman and freshman Patrick Rose.

No. 3 Illinois (10-1 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten) will be the heavy favorite tonight, and not just because the Illini will have the home court advantage. No. 65 Purdue (5-5, 1-1) has not won a match in Champaign since 1986. The last time the Boilermakers scored more than one point against the Illini was in 1999.

Still, the Illini will have several obstacles to overcome. The team does not usually compete during the week. Illinois’ lone loss at the Atkins Tennis Center since March 2002 was last season on a weekday against Kentucky. The loss against the Wildcats was Illinois’ first home loss in 38 consecutive matches.

“We need to start off solid with the doubles point and keep playing solid with the singles,” said Illinois freshman Marc Spicijaric. “We have to keep playing how we’ve been playing.”

Although shifting their focus from the school day to the tennis match, Illinois sophomore Brandon Davis agreed that the team will be prepared for the match.

“You have to be extra ready to come out and play the first point,” Davis said.

Davis also said a win tomorrow will be key in preparing for Illinois’ weekend matches at Texas and Texas A&M.; Illinois will also play perennial powerhouses USC, Stanford and Florida later this month.

“We have to take care of business before we go to Texas,” Davis said. “We’re just looking forward to getting on top and staying on top.”