Losing 6-foot-7 senior Kevin Anderson to the professional ranks has left a dent on the Illinois men’s tennis team.

Some might logically lower expectations for the Illini; Anderson’s doubles partner Ryan Rowe is not one of them.

“Last year no one expected us to do as well as we did,” said Rowe on the team’s second-place finish in the NCAA Tournament last season. “Maybe we can do that again this year.”

Anderson is still hanging around the team, helping members train for the upcoming season. On Tuesday he volleyed a tennis ball back and forth with his former partner in crime, the 6-foot-5 inch Rowe.

“You’re going to (see) a different ball that you’re not going to get everyday while you’re at school,” Rowe said. “(Anderson’s) a trainer here for a couple of weeks.”

The players are involved in two-a-days, which include two tennis sessions and two fitness workouts each day. The sun shines brightly on them in the 88-degree weather, and beads of sweat are abundant. Metal baseball bats clink in the background near the Atkins Tennis Center, where the players have been tinkering with their game.

There is not official practice, just conditioning and working on technique when schedules permit.

Still, head coach Brad Dancer views the next few weeks as critically important regarding the shape the athletes should be in.

“We established a foundation for our fitness … just to make sure all the guys are at a base level,” Dancer said.

Since the upcoming matches consist of individual scoring, including the Sept. 14-16 Illinois/Olympia Field CC Intercollegiate Tennis Invitational, there is more freedom to refine and improve technique.

“We don’t want to be messing around with technical things come January or February,” Dancer said.

Sophomore Billy Heiser likes the idea of doing a variety of workouts as a team, whether there is a day off or not. The team ran together in the sand, lifted weights (increasing the weight training rigor) and played Ultimate Frisbee.

“We’ve worked really hard from the beginning,” Heiser said. “Freshmen are working hard physically … It’s going to pay off on the tennis court soon.”

Dancer said the tennis players are only in the early stages of the season, but said there is plenty of excitement with the combination of the three new freshmen and the returning veterans.

“(The loss of Anderson) definitely hurts,” Dancer said. “You’re talking about the loss of maybe the best player in tennis off our squad.”

There will perhaps be increased motivation for the other athletes who can now vie for a No. 1 spot, Dancer said.

Senior Brandon Davis realizes what the loss of Anderson means, but maintains high expectations for the returning players.

“This team has unlimited potential,” Davis said. “We are shooting for nothing less than a championship this year.”

The players are coming together through team activities. Teammates have grilled out recently, bowled, played Taboo and most importantly, organized their own practices until official practices resume.

Looking ahead to the tennis season, Rowe thinks back to the team’s run of getting past the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and ultimately reaching the finals last season.

“It’s a feeling you only feel once in your lifetime,” Rowe said, “unless you get back there multiple times,”