CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — No. 21 Illinois (12-7) will start the Big Ten portion of its schedule with the match ups between Penn State (13-4) on March 24 at 6 p.m. and No. 2 Ohio State (17-2) on March 26 at noon.
The Illini are looking to improve on their 5-2 record from last season and go back to the performance of 2021 where they were 15-1.
This is the first time Illinois and Penn State have met since the Illini defeated the Nittany Lions, 4-0, last season.
Illinois has seen Ohio State two times prior, first in Columbus, losing 4-0 and at the ITA National Indoor Championship, also losing 4-0.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION | penn state (13-4)
Jeff Zinn is heading into his 11th year as the head coach of the Penn State Men’s Tennis program. Coach Zinn is 144-111 at Penn State and 524-370 in 30 years of coaching. Zinn was named to the top ten most winningest coaches in Division 1 Men’s Tennis. Zinn was also awarded ITA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year during the 2018-19 Season.
Penn State is coming off a 1-6 loss to Cornell at home after winning, 4-3, to FGCU in Fort Myers, Fla.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION | ohio state (17-2)
Ty Tucker, who became the head coach of the Ohio State men’s tennis program in 1999, has turned Buckeye tennis into an elite program that has maintained consistent success, shattered program records and contended for Big Ten and national titles year after year.
The Buckeyes are 2-1 in the month of March, first losing to No. 5 South Carolina, 1-4, then going on to beat UCF, 4-0 and No. 5 Michigan, 4-2.
ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS
The Illini are now 21 in the rankings after beating unranked Baylor and Abilene Christian and losing to No. 1 TCU.
The rankings are based on an algorithm generator the ITA uses to determine where each team is ranked; it is not voted on like other teams in the NCAA.
Kids Clinic/Scouts Day
Illinois will also have its annual Kids Clinic during and after the Ohio State match. Inflatables (weather permitting) will be available all through the match and children signed up will be able to play tennis with members of the Fighting Illini men’s tennis team.
Free scout patches will be given away prior to the Ohio State match as well.
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