The final votes are in – the No. 36 Illini are on their way to the NCAA Championships.

In head coach Michelle Dasso’s second year at the helm, the team is headed to Atlanta to take on No. 25 Tennessee in regional play next week.

This is the first time Illinois has made it to the NCAAs since the 2003-04 season, which means no player on the current roster has tournament experience.

“Honestly, we didn’t even know how the regional system worked,” sophomore Megan Fudge said. “For us it’s been a dream. (A reminder has) been up on my wall since I moved into my apartment in August last year. That’s what we want to achieve and now it’s here.”

The Illini start in a four-team regional bracket where they play up to two single-elimination matches. Georgia Tech (19-5), the defending champions, and Alcorn State (13-12) round out the bracket. Each regional winner will advance to the NCAA round of 16 held in Tulsa, Okla. The team’s first match is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, May, 9.

Illinois has seen its share of ups and downs in the last two years, and Dasso appreciates how the team has progressed.

“Part of being a coach and player is you work extremely hard day in and day out, and (results) won’t show immediately,” Dasso said. “You may not win tomorrow and you may not win next week, but it will eventually come. I think that this year we have seen some of the rewards of our efforts. I don’t think anyone thought we’d be where we’re at right now. This is a nice bonus.”

When Illinois (12-10) and Tennessee (14-9) clashed Jan. 26, the Lady Volunteers got the best of the Illini, winning 6-1. However, Dasso said the Lady Volunteers are going to see a different team the second time around.

“We have different doubles teams,” Dasso said. “We are playing at a neutral outdoor site instead of inside at their place, and Leigh Finnegan was just starting matches at that point. Now, all of our freshmen have more experience and they know how to play under pressure. But really the pressure is on (Tennessee) because they are expected to beat us again.”

The Illini showed promise in the Big Ten Tournament last weekend before losing to No. 1-ranked Northwestern in the semifinals.

Tennessee was also eliminated from its conference tournament in the second round, losing 4-0 to No. 12 Vanderbilt.

The Lady Volunteers have been plagued with injuries lately, forcing them to forfeit No. 6 singles against Commodores last weekend.

Dasso said the women have to stick to their gameplan to be successful against Tennessee.

“I think we have to compete as hard and as well as we have been competing in our Big Ten matches and we need to love the moment,” Dasso said. “All season long we have proven people wrong, and I think there’s a good chance we are going to prove people wrong again next week.”