Following a trip to Penn State and No. 1 Ohio State, No. 19 Illinois men’s tennis continues Big Ten play this weekend against No. 18 Michigan State and Michigan at the Atkins Tennis Center.
Illinois has the upper hand over Michigan State with a 64-28 overall head-to-head record, an impressive mark that can mostly be attributed to a 24-match win streak that began in April 1998. There is also a personal element to this matchup, as Illinois head coach Brad Dancer spent his collegiate career representing Michigan State from 1989-93 before serving as an assistant coach from 1993-98.
The Illini have seen much less historical success against the Wolverines, as they are in front of the all-time record by a margin of 45-66-3. Michigan is also the only team that Illinois has tied on three occasions, with those matches occurring in 1924, 1934 and 1945.
Despite having one match against Ohio State earlier in the season, Illinois definitively began its Big Ten schedule last weekend. With seven matches left before the Big Ten tournament, Illinois sits at 1-1 in the conference after defeating Penn State and losing to Ohio State.
“It’s early doors in the Big Ten season,” graduate student Oliver Okonkwo said. “The competition we’re about to go through is going to be immense. There’s a lot of tennis to be played.”
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Okonkwo and the team continue to look forward despite last weekend’s loss. The team is a close-knit group of guys who not only know how to have fun but also keep each other accountable.
“The guys on the team are like my brothers,” Okonkwo said. “We’re always trying to push each other. There’s a lot of accountability, and I think we have a pretty healthy relationship within our team.”
To prepare for the upcoming matches against Michigan State and Michigan this weekend, Illinois is focusing on keeping the game difficult for its opponents.
“That’s really what we’ve been diving into recently,” Okonkwo said. “Competing and trying to make things as difficult for our opponents as we can possibly make.”
As a graduate student, Okonkwo has lots of experience playing for Illinois under his belt. He said he has found himself focusing on the mental side of tennis and being a leader for the rest of the team this season.
“I truly believe that we can go and do some really fun things and have a great season,” Okonkwo said. “It’s times like this where we can build momentum going into the postseason.”
No. 19 Illinois men’s tennis is set to host No. 18 Michigan State and Michigan this weekend at the Atkins Tennis Center, serving at noon on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
