The Illini didn’t seem to mind all of the changes to their Wednesday routine. Illinois had to hit the road once again to take on Kentucky in an uncommon midweek match, which was also played outdoors, something the Illini haven’t done much of this season.

Despite all of the factors working against No. 11 Illinois, it was still able to take down No. 14 Kentucky, 4-2. The win brought both teams’ records to 14-7.

“It was a great team effort from our guys, I think to be honest it was the definition of a team effort,” head coach Brad Dancer said. 

Illinois started out the match and promptly dropped the doubles point for the third straight match. The anchor to Illinois’ doubles play, No. 3 Ross Guignon and Tim Kopinski fell first to the No. 31 duo of Tom Jomby and Kevin Lai, 8-6. Farris Gosea and Jared Hiltzik also lost for the Illini, giving the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead heading into singles.

“Doubles is always really tricky with us, we figure things out and then we go away from it,” Hiltzik said.

Although Illinois’ ranked doubles team was upset, its ranked singles players did not disappoint. No. 42 Tim Kopinski set the tone for Illinois in singles by taking down No. 85 Alejandro Gomez in dominant fashion, 6-1, 6-3. The two other ranked players for the Illini, No. 9 Jared Hiltzik and No. 23 Farris Gosea, followed Kopinski’s lead. Hiltzik beat No. 90 Beck Pennington easily, 6-2, 6-4. Hiltzik returned to the lineup for Illinois last weekend after missing almost six weeks with a nagging wrist injury. The victory over Pennington was Hiltzik’s first since his return, as he lost at both Penn State and Ohio State. 

“(Winning) felt good, you just treat it like any other match. I just have faith in the process of me getting more matches under my belt so I think that carried me through,” Hiltzik said.

Ross Guignon also grabbed a win for the Illini, 7-6, 6-1, as all four of the Illinois players to lose in doubles were able to gather themselves and gain wins in singles. With the Illini leading 3-2, Gosea finished off No. 11 Jomby to seal the road victory for Illinois. 

Gosea has been the Illini’s star in singles throughout the season, especially in the absence of Hiltzik. The win was Gosea’s 15th of the season, tying him for the team lead. Gosea also boasts an impressive 8-2 record against top-50 opponents, beating the No. 8 and No.11 ranked players in the country in his last two matches.

“Sometimes when you fall off the horse you panic a little bit and I think (Gosea) did the opposite. (Gosea) just got right back on the horse, stayed on track and stayed dialed in,” Dancer said. The Illini will have little time to enjoy their victory, as they will hit the court for two long awaited home matches this weekend. Not only has Illinois played its last six matches on the road, but the team has also been dominant while playing at home this season with a 7-0 record. 

The return home also brings the return of Big Ten competition for Illinois, in which they are currently 3-2. Illinois will host Michigan State on Friday, a team that Illinois has been dominant over in recent history. The Spartans haven’t beaten the Illini since 1997, giving the Illini a 20-match win streak. Illinois’ second match of the weekend, at home against Michigan on Sunday, will have a different feel to it. The Wolverines rolled over the Illini 5-2 last season, so the Illini will be seeking revenge. 

Brett can be reached at [email protected] and @blerner10.