No. 20 Illinois (8-4, 2-0) returned home in style with a weekend sweep after a loss in the final nonconference match of the season. Illinois fell to No. 3 Ohio State (12-2, 1-0) with a hammering 0-4 loss on Wednesday. In its fourth-ranked loss and first shutout loss of the season, the scorecard doesn’t paint the entire picture.
Fall to the Buckeyes
A shutdown 0-4 scoreline is an overwhelming figure. However, the dual was much closer in reality. The Illini began with a win on court three in doubles, but courts one and two fell after, ultimately conceding the point. Court one held its own for a while, forcing the set to go to twelve games.
“All of us have just been very hungry,” said redshirt junior William Mroz. “Regardless of the scoreline, it was much closer than what it seemed and we had a lot of positives that we picked up on from that loss.”
Three unfinished singles matches proved to be the defining point in the dual. Redshirt freshman Zach Viiala rebounded with a second set win after losing the first, and the match was abandoned before the third set. A similar story happened with redshirt sophomore Tyler Bowers, whose third set stood at 3-3 before it was abandoned.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“One loss didn’t affect us too much,” Mroz said. “Obviously, it stings a little, but we moved on to the next games.”
A loss to a top-five program before the conference schedule isn’t ideal. However, a few days of rest and a return home fueled the Illinois’ comeback, proving its resilience and toughness.
“One of the things is just getting healthier,” said head coach Brad Dancer. “We were coming out of the weekend before the Ohio State dual not very healthy. Travel was really interesting and difficult for us. The biggest thing is to be able to get the team back on home court and be able to practice.”
Doubles glory over Nebraska
Illinois had a proper battle in the Big Ten opener on Friday against Nebraska (8-4, 1-1). This was another dual that seemed misleadingly one-sided. A tight win on court two in doubles set the tone for an exciting dual that saw several sets go to the edge. Mroz and Viiala teamed up in Illinois’ newest doubles pairing, ultimately winning 6-4.
“We’re pretty comfortable with each other,” Mroz said about his new doubles partner. “We have similar humor, and we understand each other on the court. We can keep getting better. It definitely was good because we clinched the doubles against Wisconsin and we got off the court the quickest against Nebraska.”
This marked Mroz’s seventh doubles win of the season and his third with a different partner, making him Illinois’ most successful doubles player this season. His win with Viiala was crucial to securing the doubles point as court three went down to an edgy 7-5 tiebreaker.
“I feel like I can play with anyone on the team in the doubles lineup and have good results,” Mroz said. “It’s a lot about executing the right things and playing my game. I trust myself enough to convert tight games. We all have a good chemistry on this team, so it also makes it a lot easier regardless of who you play with.”
Toppling Wisconsin
With momentum from the Nebraska win, Illinois swept Wisconsin (6-4, 0-2) 7-0. Once again, it was vital to get the doubles point to set the tone. Senior Mathis Debru and sophomore Jeremy Zhang handled matters on court three, putting the Illini ahead. However, a tiebreaker loss on court one brought the Badgers back into the game.
“We’re returning a little better,” Dancer said. “We’re putting a little bit more pressure on the opposing teams. I still think it’s a big challenge for us to commit to our serve plays, and that’s a big focus point for us this week.”
The match on court two also went to a 7-5 tiebreaker, with Illinois securing the win. Illinois’ doubles play has not been perfect, and the team is battle-tested before the business end of the tournament.
“We’ve got a great culture on our team,” Dancer said. “Our guys have great visions for themselves. Adversity becomes easier to handle because you have great clarity for where you are heading in your life.”
Badger-ing wins
If the doubles tiebreaker heartbreak wasn’t enough for Wisconsin, Illinois delivered six straight deadly blows, grabbing all the available points from the dual.
“It was an interesting match,” Mroz said about his singles win against Wisconsin. “The first set, I was up a break, but then I had to try to keep it going, but it didn’t work out. I really raised my level in the tiebreaker. After that, I just kept rolling, used the confidence from the first set and I think it helped me get a pretty easy one in the second set.”
Illinois’ loss to No. 14 Baylor (12-6) halted a five-game win streak. A 7-0 victory was a mighty way to put together two consecutive wins. More importantly, the Illini are in the conference season now. Six straight-set wins is an intimidating statistic and should boost Illini confidence.
Despite a massive win, Dancer believes the team can handle tiebreakers better.
“I think we can do better,” Dancer said. “We would just talk a lot about execution and how critical it is. At times we did a good job, and at other times, we didn’t do such a good job at that. In pressure moments it’s really got to be about committing to the place and I think we can still get better at that.”
Hoosier territory
Illinois continues its conference season with a weekend trip to Purdue (8-3, 0-1) and Indiana (9-4, 0-2). The Illini are off to a good start in Big Ten play, but every week is a new challenge. Their away record has been a shaky 1-4, but this weekend can change that.
“These two wins aren’t really gonna matter this week,” Mroz said. “The situation is different, the atmosphere is different and the opponents are different. Putting in work throughout the week will be crucial. I’m going to try to visualize what I’m doing on the court and that can kind of help me get into a mental space where I can perform.”
