Illinois men’s tennis awaits NCAA tournament

The Illini came into the 2013-2014 season with high expectations, but also with some big question marks. 

The bright spots included Jared Hiltzik beginning his sophomore campaign, after running away with Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season. Tim Kopinski and Ross Guignon were also ranked as a top-5 doubles duo as well. 

The questions about Illinois arose after. There weren’t any other returning doubles pairs. Where production in the singles lineup would come from after Hiltzik and Kopinski was also far from certain. 

With these questions at hand early in the year, the Illini have done much to exceed the already high bar that was set for them coming in. 

Hiltzik one-upped his Big Ten Freshman of the Year performance from last season, earning both First Team All-Conference and All-American status heading into the NCAA tournament. Kopinski and Guignon also lived up to their preseason ranking, receiving All-American honors as a pair. 

Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!

  • Catch the latest on University of Illinois news, sports, and more. Delivered every weekday.
  • Stay up to date on all things Illini sports. Delivered every Monday.
Thank you for subscribing!

The big surprise that saved the Illini this season and propelled them into the No. 12 overall seed in the NCAA tournament has been junior Farris Gosea. Gosea wasn’t ranked in the nation’s top-100 in early January, but finished the season only two spots away from All-America at No. 18. He also shut out his conference opponents, going undefeated and in turn earning Big Ten Player of the Year. 

Hiltzik missed about six weeks with a nagging wrist injury at the beginning of the conference season; Gosea stepped into the top singles spot for Illinois and didn’t miss a beat. 

Hiltzik was on a nine-match singles win streak heading into the tournament, and the one-two punch of him and Gosea is hard for any team to match up with. 

Illinois’ 22-8 record was full of ups, but there were also a few downs to deal with as well.

Head coach Brad Dancer had to deal with a shortened roster for a large portion of the season. Along with Hiltzik’s six week absence, sophomore Brian Page also missed a similar amount of time with an arm injury. This limited Dancer’s flexibility when it came to doubles pairings and the singles lineup. 

The Illini were 10-2 in the Big Ten, but actually lost one match. Their loss at Penn State was overruled by the conference office after Penn State challenged Dancer’s lineup. 

The team also made another appearance in the conference tournament championship under Dancer, but once again fell to Ohio State. The Illini dropped both of their matches with the Buckeyes, but the title match was especially deflating. 

“If we can’t beat Ohio State in a neutral setting, then we’re not there yet,” Dancer said after the loss. 

Outside of conference play, Illinois had some unique opportunities as a program. 

They played Baylor in Indian Wells, California, as a precursor to a professional tournament that was going on. 

Atkins Tennis Center was also selected as a host site for the ESPN College Matchday series; Illinois beat Pepperdine with a packed house on hand to watch. Associate head coach Marcos Asse pointed out how big of an opportunity that event was. 

“(The publicity) is great for Illinois. It’s great for us to showcase our facilities and show everyone we have the best facilities in the country,” Asse said. “The other huge thing, which is much bigger than Illini tennis, is just getting college tennis broadcasted in general.” 

The success of the regular season can be quickly diminished if the Illini don’t succeed in the NCAA tournament. They are put in prime position to at least reach the Sweet 16; they host the first and second rounds and went undefeated at home through the regular season. 

This year’s team is trying to climb into the same category as Dancer’s 2007 squad, which lost in the national title match. While they want to produce a similar result, the group of guys is one of a kind.

“I’ve enjoyed this group of guys thoroughly,” Dancer said. “They get excited about tennis, they love tennis, they play with a lot of passion. They’re tough kids.” 

Brett can be reached at [email protected] and @Blerner10.