Illini men’s tennis freshman Vukic on the way back to Waco
By Christopher Kennedy
May 5, 2015
Aleks Vukic stood surrounded by sound on Court 5 at Baylor’s Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center for the Illinois men’s tennis team’s first dual match of the season. Fans were yelling, the Bears were heckling, and his teammates were cheering. As the freshman played the next point he looked over and ...
Twin peaks: Kopinskis leave behind a mountain of achievements
By Christopher Kennedy
April 30, 2015
“Not again.” That’s what went through Tim Kopinski’s head when his twin sister Melissa decided to join him to play tennis at Illinois. Through junior tennis and high school, Tim had always been “Melissa’s brother” — constantly overshadowed by his sister. Tim would come home beaming wit...
Illinois men’s tennis’ Hiltzik brothers push each other to new heights
April 29, 2015
It wasn’t just match point, it was championship point. Aron Hiltzik tried not to look over at Court 1, where his brother Jared was locked in battle. He tried not to think about the sea of orange and blue holding its breath behind him with the Illini men’s tennis team up 3-0 over Ohio State in the Big...
Illinois men’s tennis rotates sixth man
April 28, 2015
This weekend brought the Illinois men’s tennis team a Big Ten championship. It also brought the return of senior Ross Guignon and freshman Toshiki Matsuya to the singles court. Matsuya hasn’t seen action since March 29. While Guignon has been contributing on the doubles court with freshman partner Ar...
Illinois men’s tennis takes home Big Ten Championship
April 27, 2015
It all came down to Aron Hiltzik. Leading 5-4 with the serve and a deuce advantage, he took a moment to settle himself before one last game against Ohio State’s Hunter Callahan. Hiltzik outdueled Callahan from the baseline and threw down his hat in celebration as the Illinois men’s tennis team swa...
Illinois men’s tennis hosts Big Ten tournament for first time since 2005
April 23, 2015
The Illinois men’s tennis team almost completed a perfect Big Ten season last weekend. Now, it’ll have to run the conference gauntlet again as it hosts the Big Ten Tournament from Thursday to Sunday. The Illini last won the tournament title in 2012. With a win over Wisconsin on April 19, the Illini clinche...
Illini men’s tennis grabs No. 1 seed in Big Ten tournament
April 21, 2015
The bracket for this week’s Big Ten tournament at the Atkins Tennis Center was released Sunday. The Illinois men’s tennis team is the No. 1 seed after taking a share of the regular season conference title. The Illini’s first match is Friday morning at 10 a.m., against the winner of No. 8 Iowa...
Illini men’s tennis grab first Big Ten regular season title since 2005
April 20, 2015
While the Illinois men’s tennis team clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Sunday, there was a cloud over the weekend road trip as the Illini’s perfect Big Ten season came to an end. On Friday, the team suffered its first conference loss of the year, dropping a 4-3 decision to Minnesota. On Sun...
Illinois men’s tennis aims to complete perfect Big Ten Season
By Christopher Kennedy
April 16, 2015
The Illinois men’s tennis team is two matches away from its first undefeated Big Ten regular season since 2005. All that’s left on the conference slate for Illinois (21-3, Big Ten 9-0) is a showdown with one of the Big Ten’s top teams in Minnesota (17-6, Big Ten 8-1) on Friday and a match-up with a ...
Bazarnik returns for Illinois men’s tennis
By Christopher Kennedy
April 14, 2015
Senior Blake Bazarnik picked up the clinching win for the Illinois men’s tennis team on Sunday’s Senior Day and could be a big part of the Illini’s postseason plans. While Bazarnik did not play at all in the fall and has not played every match for the Illini this spring, he has been back in the l...
Illinois men’s tennis celebrate Senior Day with a 4-0 victory
By Christopher Kennedy
April 13, 2015
It was Senior Day on Sunday for the Illinois men’s tennis team during their match against Nebraska. Two of the team’s freshman phenoms were key to a 4-0 Illini victory, but one of the day’s honorees clinched the victory. Blake Bazarnik took down the Huskers’ Bradford Zitsch 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) in...
Illini men’s tennis returns home to defend perfect conference record
By Christopher Kennedy
April 9, 2015
The Illinois men’s tennis team remains perfect in conference play after two wins in Michigan, and returns home to face Iowa on Saturday and Nebraska on Sunday. The No. 3-ranked Illini (19-3, 7-0 Big Ten) are entering the weekend on a four-match winning streak. They haven’t lost a home match since Janua...
