The women’s tennis team had a successful weeklong spring training trip under the Florida sun, and its talents were showcased at the end of the week in a dominant victory in Boca Raton, Fla., on Saturday. After escaping from the cold of Champaign, the Illini opened up the 2008 season with a 7-0 sweep of Florida Atlantic, winning all of their singles matches in straight sets.

Both old faces and new ones started their season strong for the Illini, as freshmen Marisa Lambropoulos and Annie McCarthy made their debuts. Redshirt freshman Leigh Finnegan also made her first appearance competing on the court after sitting out last season with a foot injury.

Finnegan won 6-3, 6-0 at the No. 2 singles spot, Lambropoulos won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3, and McCarthy won by way of default. Lambropoulos and McCarthy also teamed up to take home an 8-2 victory at No. 2 doubles.

“We had three girls compete in their first dual matches of their career in Leigh, Marisa and Annie, and I thought they did a great job of composing themselves and going out there and getting the win,” head coach Michelle Dasso said in a press release.

Meanwhile, sophomore Megan Fudge won at No. 1 singles, while junior Shivani Dave and senior Momei Qu captured victories at the No. 3 and No. 5 positions, respectively. The team swept the doubles competition as well, led by Fudge and Finnegan’s 8-4 victory at the No. 1 spot.

The next challenge for the Illini will come at home when they host Marquette on Saturday, followed by a matchup with Western Michigan on Monday. The team exceeded expectations in Florida, but it is not looking too far ahead just yet.

“This is a great win, but now, we are ready to head home and get back to work in order to get ready for Marquette and Western Michigan this weekend,” Dasso said.