With yet another weekend of dominating performances to add to his résumé, Ryan Rowe continues to prove to opponents why he is one of the best college tennis players in the nation.

Boasting a No. 9 national ranking heading into last weekend’s Midwest Regional Championships, Rowe tore through the field of 64 on his way to the singles finals and captured an automatic berth in November’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association Indoor Championships.

Rowe, who was forced to retire from his finals match with minor injuries, held his own against some very formidable competition.

“Everybody was going out there to grind and try to qualify for (the ITAs),” Rowe said. “It’s a big deal, and everybody I played was out there to come get me, maybe ’cause they thought I was ranked higher or they had nothing to lose. I had some tough matches, and I’m really happy I was able to go out there and pull through.”

The Illini were forced to overcome a bumpy start to the tournament, as Brandon Davis, Billy Heiser, Jordan Knue and Calon Alpar were all eliminated by the end of the first round of singles play.

Heiser was able to bounce back from his disappointing performance in singles, however, as he teamed with Rowe to form a daunting pair in the tournament’s doubles draw.

The tandem won four straight matches on its way to the semifinals, where the pair dropped a heartbreaking match to Drew Eberly and Justin Kronauge of Ohio State, the tournament’s No. 1 doubles seed.

The pair of Buckeyes orchestrated an unlikely comeback to tie the match at 7-7, before defeating the Illini in the tiebreaker 7-5.

For Heiser and Rowe, the loss was especially difficult to swallow.

“It was frustrating,” Heiser said. “We’re still not over it. We were talking about it on the plane ride back. We had chances, just a little bit unlucky, I guess.”

The pairing of Heiser with Rowe was somewhat unconventional for the Illini, as the two had minimal experience competing side-by-side in doubles play. Makeshift lineups are due in part to the absence of key players, which has hurt the Illini early in fall competition.

Junior Marc Spicijaric is battling a lower body injury, while his senior teammate Ruben Gonzales focuses on reaching the required amount of academic credits before the spring season rolls around.

While this has hurt the team’s performance, other Illini players have taken advantage of the extra playing time.

“With Spicijaric and Gonzales out this fall, our results are not near where we want them to be,” head coach Brad Dancer said, “and I think those guys would help if they were in there. At the same time, what’s happening is the other guys are getting opportunities. So far they are proving they’re not ready for those opportunities, but we’re going to keep giving it to them and see if they can turn things around.”

Rowe will get his chance to compete against a highly competitive field of 32 at the ITA National Indoor Championships singles draw, which begins Nov. 1.

The team has also nominated Rowe and Davis for one of the at-large bids in doubles competition. Though, the ITA has not yet finalized their selections.