After failing to qualify for the NCAA Championships hosted at home in May, the Illinois women’s tennis team was forced to watch what might have been.

There were two Illini who did manage to leave their mark on the tournament, though, when senior Rachael White and sophomore Melissa Kopinski received an at-large bid for doubles. The duo fell in the quarterfinals, but not before becoming the second and third All-Americans in the program’s history — the first to achieve the honor in two decades.

Kopinski and White made sure to reap the benefits of home-court advantage while preparing for their run at a doubles title. They had a month to train and used the time to get acclimated to the outdoor courts at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex.

“For a whole month, we just played on those courts to get used to stadium seating,” Kopinski said. “It was awesome.”

Kopinski added there was a comfort factor with playing at home, giving the national tournament more of a “special” feeling. 

“It was very fitting to have (them qualify) the year we hosted,” head coach Michelle Dasso said.

The significance of hosting the tournament extended far beyond the on-court success. Tennis players, coaches and fans from all over the country flocked to Champaign-Urbana, making Illinois center of the collegiate-tennis universe for 12 days in May.

“It was a great experience for the players and coaches that participated, and it was very good exposure for us as an institution,” Dasso said.

Dasso also said the tournament also gave Illinois the benefit of exposure — an opportunity to show off Illini tennis and its facility on the biggest stage.

“I think everyone that was there saw the support that we have, as well as the amazing facilities,” Dasso said. “(Khan) is certainly one of the finest facilities in the country. We feel very fortunate to have it. We try to use it as much as we can when recruiting student-athletes.”

Now, the Illini have to step away from the spotlight and look toward future challenges. White has graduated and Kopinski is left without a doubles partner as she begins her junior year, which poses obvious problems for a team that finished the season 14-11 and 6-5 in the Big Ten.

“We’re going to have to mix-and match to see who I can play doubles with,” Kopinski said. “I’m going to try and play with one of the (three incoming) freshmen.”

Kopinski said she hopes her success from last season’s tournament experience can translate into becoming a leader during her two remaining years on campus.

“It’s a good example to set for the freshmen, so they know what we expect of them,” Kopinski said. 

With five underclassmen making up half of this year’s squad, Kopinski may be expected to carry more weight on her shoulders this season.

“(Being All-American) hasn’t hit me yet,” she said. “I think when the banner goes up, I might freak out a little bit.”

Alex can be reached at [email protected] and @aroux94.