Marisa Lambropoulos had been in this position before.

She was the last one left on the courts in a 3-3 tie with conference opponent Indiana, making her match the deciding one for the Illinois women’s tennis team. Only this time it was a little bit different. It was senior day, the last home match for Lambropoulos, Amy Allin and Chelcie Abajian.

“It will be something I always remember,” Lambropoulos said. “During the match, it didn’t really occur to me that it was my last match (at home), but looking back it’s definitely going to stick out more than most matches.”

She earned the match-clinching win in a close three-set match, just one more in her illustrious career.

She wasn’t the only senior to come up big that weekend, as two days later in the final regular season match for No. 21 Illinois, it was Lambropoulos’ classmates who stepped up. Allin recorded the match-clinching singles victory, while Abajian notched wins in both singles and doubles to contribute to the Illini’s 5-2 victory over No. 29 Purdue.

“It was extra special,” head coach Michelle Dasso said. “That it was senior weekend and to see them all have success because they all deserve it.”

Lambropoulos, in her fifth season with Illinois, redshirted last season because of a wrist injury, while Allin and Abajian are in their fourth and final year. All of the seniors have a special bond with Dasso because they were the first three scholarship players the coach signed after she was hired in 2007. Dasso inherited a 10th-place team in the Big Ten, but knew the three would be the ones to turn it around.

“To see how it has changed, what we started with and where we are now, it’s awesome,” Dasso said. “We’ve made so many strides because of them, and how they’ve changed the culture in the program.”

Despite growing up outside Big Ten country, New York native Abajian and Texas-born Allin both decided to commit because of the coaching staff and the atmosphere of the program.

“I felt welcome right away,” Abajian said.

“Michelle said we had the chance to be a part of something special,” Allin added.

The program’s revival started in 2008, coming off back-to-back 10th-place finishes in the Big Ten. Then freshmen, Allin and Abajian made immediate impacts to start their careers, each earning 26 singles wins that year to tie them for 13th best in school history. The team transitioned from Big Ten doormat to legitimate conference contender, placing fourth in 2008.

“We’ve had some great teams,” Allin said. “Getting the team back to where we think we can achieve a lot because we know we can. We’ve all put in the work.”

The next two years saw Illinois finish third, its best conference finish since 2004. Last year, however, was a rough season for the trio and the team. Lambropoulos was forced to redshirt because of a major wrist injury, while Abajian missed the final 10 matches as a result of ankle injuries.

Allin recorded a respectable year and was named second-team All-Big Ten, but the Illini struggled, rescinding back to fifth in the conference.

For Lambropoulos especially, it was hard for her not to graduate in 2011 and leave with her classmates, Annie McCarthy and Leigh Finnegan.

“It was weird seeing them on their senior day,” Lambropoulos said. “Seeing them graduate and knowing that should be me was weird. But that senior day and this senior day went by in a flash.”

The Illini finished third in the conference this season and have a first-round bye in this weekend’s Big Ten Tournament, starting Thursday in Columbus, Ohio. It initially looked like Illinois could have been headed for another season of mediocrity. But when spring break hit, Dasso and the team declared the start of its “second phase of the season,” wiping the team’s record clean. Since then, the Illini have won 11 of their last 12, including wins over No. 9 Texas, No. 25 Nebraska and No. 29 Rice.

Although their time here is coming to an end, the seniors aren’t ready to be done with their careers.

“With this team, we really see us going far in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA tournament,” Abajian said. “I feel like we have a lot more tennis to go.”

The Illini have their sights set on trying to make history and earn their first Big Ten Championship. To do so, they have potential matchups to avenge their only regular-season losses to Michigan and Northwestern.

“We want that Big Ten title,” Dasso said. “That’s something these girls have had their eye on for a while now.”

Quite the impact on a program that just four seasons ago was a 10th place team.