The Illini women’s basketball team left practice on Tuesday looking confident despite the recent loss of senior forward/center Audrey Tabon to a knee injury.

“Audrey has a torn right ACL,” said head coach Theresa Grentz before practice. “She will be out for the season; we’ll do an MRI and discuss surgery. There are decisions that haven’t been made yet. She’ll rehab and begin playing again, hopefully, in the summer. We are hoping for a full recovery and a redshirt.”

Tabon, one of two returning seniors this season, was expected to play a major role on this season’s squad.

Her injury raises many questions about what is in store for the Illini this season.

In regards to her lineups this season, Grentz will use the two exhibition games on the schedule to answer some of those questions.

“There is a lot of different ways that we can go,” Grentz said. “The thing is that we are big and I want to play big. We have to get comfortable with each other. We will work to become comfortable with each other so that we can read each other and know what (your teammate) is going to do before she does it. That is the point we are trying to get to.”

The first chance for the Illini to get some of their questions answered will come in the first of those two exhibition games against Clarion University on Friday night.

The game will start at 7 p.m. at Assembly Hall and the Illini are excited to get back on the court and move forward following the injury to Tabon.

“We can get through anything,” Grentz said. “The fire is what molds the sword and makes it able to compete.”