May 21, 2002

Even though the Fighting Illini men's tennis team was disappointed with its third final-eight finish in the last four years as a team, three squad members are still in the competitive mode. While their teammates have been sent packing for the summer, a trio of UI sophomores remains at Texas A&M University in College Station, site of the upcoming NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships.

Brackets were filled this afternoon, just before tonight's national championship match between No. 1 Georgia and 11th-ranked Southern Cal, the Cinderella team that has upset sixth-seeded Baylor, third-seeded Illinois and second-seeded Tennessee in the last three days.

No. 12 Amer Delic will be the first of Illinois' players to hit the court. Delic, the fourth seed, will take on No. 52 Dan Kiernan of LSU at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Kiernan is not unfamiliar to the Fighting Illini. When the two teams tangled at the UI Atkins Tennis Center Feb. 16, Kiernan defeated Delic's teammate Brian Wilson, 6-1, 6-6 (ret.); Wilson had to retire from the match due to an injury of his hip flexor.

Meanwhile, Wilson, ranked No. 40, is scheduled to face No. 32 Rodrigo Grilli of UCLA at 1:30 Wednesday afternoon. Grilli and his Bruin teammates lost Monday night in the national semifinals to top-ranked Georgia, which some of the Illini contingent were able to watch. However no Illinois player has faced Grilli this season.

On the doubles side, Delic and classmate Michael Calkins, ranked No. 4 in the nation, are the tournament's fourth seed and will be pitted against 21st ranked Chris McDonald and Hamid Mirzadeh of Florida Thursday afternoon (exact time undetermined). Calkins and Delic played No. 1 doubles all year for the Fighting Illini and never faced the Florida duo, however Illinois' No. 3 doubles tandem, made up of seniors Mike Kosta and Nathan Zeder, beat Mirzadeh and McDonald in Round 2 of the ITA All-American Tournament Oct. 12.

The singles tournament is a 64-draw affair, while the doubles competition is comprised of 32 teams. Both events are scheduled to conclude Monday, May27. Fans and media can follow the Illinois players' progress on the internet at www.fightingillini.com. Coverage of the entire tournament field can be found on the Texas A&M athletic website, which may be accessed through a front-page link on the Illinois website.