URBANA — Let’s face it. College tennis is the more fun version of its sometimes stuffy, low-energy professional counterpart.
No public address announcer insists on silence with a somewhat passive aggressive “Quiet, please” to the crowd. They probably wouldn’t be heard anyway. Particularly not at Illinois’ Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex.
Not with the Illini that aren’t involved in the match providing plenty of energy — and noise — stationed in the middle of the six courts.
The ubiquitous “I-L-L, I-N-I” chant got things going ahead of Illinois’ second-round NCAA tournament match against Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon. Then it was just a cacophony of cheers from the Illinois players and a fan base that was finally able to see the team play in person, even in a limited number because of COVID-19 protocols.
One guess as to which group punctuated important points with the occasional “Sheeeeeesh!” as Illinois took the doubles point and then cruised to a 4-0 victory against the Fighting Irish and a spot in the Sweet 16. Straight-set singles wins from Noe Khlif, Aleks Kovacevic and Alex Brown in quick succession finished off the sweep.
“You can see our bench; They’re making all sorts of noise,” Illinois coach Brad Dancer said. “They’re obnoxious — hopefully politely obnoxious — and we love that. We encourage that. We want our guys to feel that energy nonstop.
“It was great to have the tailgaters out again (Saturday). You had cheering from this side and cheering from that side. It was kind of a cool environment out here. A little bit of a stadium feel in terms of that. Any time you can feel the momentum and feel people behind you, that’s what we preach to our recruits all the time. This is the type of place to come for that.”
The Illini (23-2) and their fans had plenty to cheer about Saturday in winning another NCAA tournament match and setting up a May 17 showdown in Orlando, Fla., with the winner of Sunday’s second-round match between No. 1 Florida (21-2) and South Florida (17-9) in the Sweet 16.
Dancer gave DePaul credit for a “smack upside the head” to his team in doubles play during Friday’s first round, with Illinois absorbing an early blow from Notre Dame on Saturday before the duos of Khlif and Siphosothando Montsi and Kovacevic and Hunter Heck posted matching 6-3 victories.
The energy from a doubles win segued neatly into a matter-of-fact finish to the match in singles action. Khlif was all over Notre Dame’s Brandon Ancona for a 6-2, 6-0 victory. Kovacevic was just as tough in a 6-2, 6-2 win against Axel Nefve and Brown battled Tristan McCormick a bit early before also winning 6-2, 6-2.
“Having the crowd and the guys on the bench brings the energy and it’s what makes Illinois and Atkins special,” Brown said. “Everybody is just bringing a lot of energy, and it’s just so fun to play. It affects the opponents, as well. It’s really fun and really what makes college tennis special and why everybody loves coming to it and playing it.”
Kovacevic kissed the No. 1 court after his win. The fifth-year senior almost didn’t return for his bonus year of eligibility — giving serious consideration to turning professional in January — but got a win in the NCAA tournament in the last home match of his decorated Illinois career after checking off a few other boxes during the Illini’s current 19-match winning streak with a Big Ten West division title and a victory against Ohio State to win the Big Ten tournament.
Now, he’s helped Illinois reach the Sweet 16 for the 11th time in Dancer’s 16-year tenure.
“To get through these first two matches and really get into the nitty gritty of the NCAA tournament is something that’s important to the legacy of this team this year,” Kovacevic said. “There’s been many great teams in the past that have done a lot in the regular season and the postseason, but the NCAA tournament is where everything needs to come together and we need to play our best.
“Having our friends come out — and friends of the program — shows how much it matters to people. … We’re having a phenomenal season. We just want to keep it going. The legacy we want to set is exactly that — how we close out the season. We’ve done a lot of great things. Now is really the crunch time.”
"sweet" - Google News
May 09, 2021 at 08:00PM
https://ift.tt/3hf82UP
High-energy Illini clinch Sweet 16 berth | Sports | news-gazette.com - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
"sweet" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2PcPlld
https://ift.tt/2KSpWvj
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "High-energy Illini clinch Sweet 16 berth | Sports | news-gazette.com - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette"
Post a Comment