Women's Tennis

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Feb. 19, 2009

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 33 Illinois women's tennis team takes to the road this weekend for a pair of matches out east. The Illini face Harvard on Saturday at the Murr Center Tennis Courts, with match time set for 11 a.m. CT. The Orange and Blue wrap up the weekend when they face the Boston College Eagles at 9 a.m. CT on Sunday, Feb. 22 at the Flynn Recreation Complex. The Illini currently hold a three match-winning streak heading into this weekend.

"The girls are rested and ready to go this weekend," head coach Michelle Dasso said. "They are excited and energized to get back out on the court. We had a weekend off from competition and the girls used that time off to focus on their conditioning, as well as work on their individual games in practice each and every day."

A complete recap of each Illinois match can be found at fightingillini.com at the conclusion of play.

STATE OF THE ILLINI
The Illini are currently ranked No. 33 in the latest Campbell's Soup / ITA Rankings, moving up two spots from their previous ranking of No. 35. The Illini (5-2) are on a three match-winning streak after knocking off Kansas, UIC and Illinois State back on the weekend of Feb. 6-8. All three matches were 7-0 sweeps for the Orange and Blue.

FUDGE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP
Junior Megan Fudge has started out the season on an impressive streak. The Kaarst, Germany, native is currently 7-0 in dual matches, heading into the weekend. Fudge has compiled an overall record for the 2008-09 season of 13-4, inching closer to having her third consecutive season with 20+ wins.

FUTURE ILLINI WHITE WINS K-SWISS JUNIOR TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
Illinois signee Rachael White won the K-Swiss Junior Tennis Championship tournament for the second year in a row over the Feb. 6-8 weekend in the Girls' 18 Singles draw, in Aurora, Ill. The future Illini White, the No. 2 seed, made an impressive run throughout the championships defeating No. 1 seeded Hanna Mar in straight sets in the finals, 6-2, 6-4.

The incoming Illini is currently ranked No. 8 in the nation according to tennisrecruiting.net and is No. 1 in the state of Illinois.

2009 RECRUITING CLASS RANKED FIFTH
The Illinois women's tennis incoming class for 2009 has been ranked the fifth-best in the country according to tennisrecruiting.net. It is the highest ranked class in the history of Illinois women's tennis, featuring two blup-chip recruits in Rachael White (Deerfield HS, Deerfield, Ill.) and Breanne Smutko (Northview HS, Alpharette, Ga.)

White holds the No. 8 ranking on tennisrecruiting.net and is currently ranked No. 22 in the USTA Girls 18s national rankings. She recently won the prestigious National K-Swiss tournament for the second year in a row. Rachael won the USTA Winter Super Nationals doubles championship and was a finalist in the Cooper Bowl doubles, both with partner Hilary Bartlett in 2006. She also 2008 National Cinncinati Open in USTA 18 and under singles. White won the 2006 IHSA state singles title as a sophomore and helped Deerfield to the IHSA team title in 2005 and runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2008.

Smutko is currently ranked No. 23 on tennisrecruiting.net and is No. 64 in the USTA Girls 18 national rankings. Smutko won the Girls 18s 2008 Copper Bowl in singles. Smutko chose Illinois over Kentucky, Denver and Penn State.

ILLINOIS VS. HARVARD
The Fighting Illini have faced the Crimson twice in the history of the program, with an all-time record of 1-1. The most recent meeting came in 2004-05 where the No. 17-ranked Crimson took a 6-1 win over No. 33 Illinois.

TAKING A LOOK AT HARVARD
The Crimson (1-2) are coming off of their first victory of the season. Harvard downed Cornell, 6-1, on Feb. 15. No. 52-ranked senior Beier Ko leads the Crimson this season.

ILLINOIS VS. BOSTON COLLEGE
The Illini hold a 1-0 advantage over the Eagles with their only meeting coming in the 1994-95 season. Illinois downed Boston College, 6-0, in Hawaii.

A EYE ON THE EAGLES
The Eagles have won three straight matches in a row, with their last victory coming on Feb. 9, with a 6-1 win over Dartmouth. The Eagles were scheduled to play the University of Massachusetts on Feb. 18, but that match was rescheduled due to inclement weather. Boston College is led by No.96-ranked Lauren Cash and No.118-ranked Lana Kransnopolsky.

UP NEXT
The Illini continue their road swing as they travel to Marquette on Feb. 28. Match time is set for 11 a.m. CT.