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Fighting Illini Travel To Colorado
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Senior Michelle Webb and the Illini face Oregon and Colorado this weekend in Boulder.
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Jan. 23, 2003
After spending 10 days enjoying the Florida sun, the Illinois women's tennis team will change climates as it heads west to face No. 34 Oregon and unranked Colorado both in Boulder, Colo. The 45th-ranked Illini enter the weekend with a 1-1 spring dual-match record.
"The 10 days we spent in Florida have given us a good base," Head Coach Sujay Lama said. "Our players are in good condition, and the camaraderie has been great. We need to build on this when we go to Colorado."
Junior Jennifer McGaffigan, ranked 41st, will play No.1 singles for the Illini followed at No. 2 by classmate Tiffany Eklov. At Nos. 3 and 4 will be seniors Eldina Fazlic and Michelle Webb. Positions 5 and 6 will be held by a two of the following: junior Eva Choe, sophomore Leila Cehajic or freshman Brianna Knue.
In Saturday's match, the Illini square off against Oregon for the first time ever. Twenty-eighth ranked Daria Panova, who recently won the Pac-10 singles title, headlines a strong singles lineup for the Ducks.
"Oregon is a very talented team. Their top four players have had a lot of success this year," Lama said. "A key for us will be playing very aggressively in doubles and getting the point. We need to be in attack mode when we go into singles play."
This will be only the second meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Buffaloes, last year's match was a 7-0 victory for Illinois in Champaign.
"Even though we beat Colorado here at home last year, we had to fight for each match," Lama said. "It'll be different playing them on their home courts."
Lama continued, "We're gearing toward our Big Ten season and these matches are good for us to make some determinations about the lineup, doubles combinations and so forth. Traditionally we have played better late in the season, but we need to get the momentum going now."
Saturday's match versus Oregon is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CST while Sunday's match starts at 10 a.m. CST. Results can be found at www.fightingillini.com.
