Last June, the men’s tennis team left Athens, Ga., as number two. One dual match into the new season, it is clear the Illini are hungry for the number one spot.

A 7-0 Friday night shutout of visiting Ball State revealed the dangerously effective balance of veteran experience and young potential that fuels head coach Brad Dancer’s lineup.

With victories in all three doubles matches, the No. 8 Illini jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and never looked back.

Singles play was a mixed bag early on, as two marathon matches complimented a pair of quick blowouts. The most lopsided win was engineered by senior Brandon Davis, who surrendered just one game to Ball State’s Jorge Rodriguez in a convincing 6-0, 6-1 win.

“The efficiency of it was probably one of our best performances of the night,” Dancer said. “When you look at it score-wise, losing one game is pretty tough to do in D-I college tennis. So kudos have to go to him.”

Junior Marc Spicijaric’s 6-2, 6-4 romp at court No. 4, coupled with Davis’ win, opened up an early 3-0 Illini lead.

The most exhilarating matches followed at the top three singles courts.

In No. 1 singles, senior Ruben Gonzales found himself in a back-and-forth battle with the Cardinals’ Jose Perdomo. After a seemingly endless exchange of points, Gonzales guaranteed an Illini win in dramatic fashion, 7-6 (10-8), 6-3.

Making his Atkins Tennis Center debut was sophomore Billy Heiser, who shook off a heated first-set loss at the No. 3 spot before closing out the Cardinals’ Brett Berryman, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. The win completed the Illini shutout.

Heiser, fresh off a showing at last weekend’s ASU Invitational that earned him Big Ten Player of the Week, kept his cool against an opponent that visibly agitated him.

Agitation, it turns out, is not always a hindrance.

“It always helps when the guy’s giving you a little extra to get in the match,” Heiser said. “It took me a while to get in the match. I was a little nervous, it was the first home match for me. He wants to win, I want to win, so that’s all it really is.”

Senior Ryan Rowe captured a similarly gritty come-from-behind victory on court No. 2.

Coveted recruit Waylon Chin also prevailed in his first match at Atkins, downing the Cardinals’ Jimmy Brannon in straight sets.

The season-opening shutout proved the Illini are dangerous, but they still have some work to do. A huge test awaits them next week when the top-ranked Virginia Cavaliers travel to Urbana for a match up of D-I heavyweights.

As far as drawing on their performance against Ball State, the Illini are hesitant to get carried away.

“Confidence is a funny word,” Gonzales said. “I know we’re getting better everyday, but we have a long way to go until we’re ready to compete with (Virginia). I still think we can beat them and a week is a long time.”

The Illini gave then-No. 1 Georgia fits in the championship last June.