The Illinois men’s tennis team will represent the school all over the country this weekend, sending three players to a professional event in Nashville, two freshmen to a college tournament in Las Vegas, and junior Ryan Rowe to the prestigious National Indoor Championships in Columbus, Ohio.

The National Indoors is the second of three major individual national championships at the collegiate level each year. In the first, the Intercollegiate Association Ralph Lauren Polo All-American Championships, Rowe and junior Kevin Anderson both made the quarterfinals of the singles draw.

The indoor surface plays quicker than most outdoor courts, making hard-hit balls travel a little faster – benefiting players who, like Rowe, try to dominate each match.

That element could make it his best chance to advance deep into a national singles tournament.

“Indoors is definitely better for me,” Rowe said. “It’s a lot faster, which helps my serve. I’m a very aggressive player, trying to move forward, and Indoors generally helps players that play that kind of style.”

Head coach Brad Dancer said Rowe could be tested in the first round by Clement Reix of Clemson, who also made the quarterfinals of the All-Americans.

“It’s going to be a great challenge for Ryan,” Dancer said. “Ryan’s game is unique and hard for guys to play against the first time. The spin on his serve, a lot of people don’t see that, so it takes them a while to get used to it. If he goes out and plays very aggressive, I think he’ll be in good shape.”

Anderson also qualified for the National Indoors but will play instead at the professional Music City Challenger in Nashville with junior Brandon Davis and sophomore Marc Spicijaric.

The Illini trio will not play as part of the University tennis team in Nashville, meaning that they will have to provide their own transportation and meal money.

“Ryan is still trying to establish himself as a college player, and Kevin has already done a great job of establishing himself as a college player,” Dancer said.

“Now he’s trying to establish himself as a pro player while in college,” he added.

The competition at the Challenger will be similar to what the team will face next week, when the professionals come to Champaign for the annual Atkins Tennis Center Challenger – including Mark Philippoussis, a former Wimbledon and U.S. Open finalist. With a taste of the professionals in Nashville, Dancer hopes the team will fare better in Champaign.

“Every year when the pros come in here, our guys are a little edgy, a little nervous, which I think is normal,” Dancer said. “To have them playing (in Nashville), it will have them better prepared for playing the Challenger here.”

While their teammates play elsewhere, the two freshmen on the team, Sasha Kharkevitch and Billy Heiser, will play in the Las Vegas Invitational. It will be Kharkevitch’s first collegiate tournament after missing most of the fall season with a stress fracture in his back. Though he is not quite healthy and will be forced to play while wearing a flak jacket to protect his back, Kharkevitch said he was ready to get on the court.

“It’s the best I’ve felt since the back thing started,” Kharkevitch said. “I’m very excited.”

Last year Rowe lost to his teammate Ruben Gonzales in the Las Vegas final, earning both players their first rankings of the year. Dancer said he hoped the freshmen could find similar success, though he acknowledged that Kharkevitch would have rust to shake.

“It’s going to be an adjustment because I haven’t really played a competitive tournament since April or March,” Kharkevitch said. “I know it’s going to be outdoors, so it’ll be a little windy, and high altitude, so the ball will fly a little. Everyone at this level is going to be pretty tough, but I’m ready to go.”