Jan. 19, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State men's tennis team is set to begin its spring season Saturday at the Intercollegiate Central Region Team Indoor Championships in Tulsa, Okla. First serve for the `Birds is scheduled for 11 a.m.
The tournament, which concludes Sunday, is comprised of eight of the top teams in the ITA Central Region. The winner of the championships will advance to the ITA National Indoor Tournament and compete against the top-16 teams in the country.
The ITA Central Region consists of six teams looking to advance, including No. 16 Oklahoma State, No. 27 Tulsa, No. 30 Arkansas, No. 60 Oklahoma and Nebraska.
In the first round, the `Birds are scheduled to play Arkansas, the tournament's third-seeded team.
Head coach Greg Kennett feels that his sixth-seeded Redbirds have what it takes to defeat Arkansas.
"Arkansas has a great program and a good team, but I feel like we can beat them," said Kennett. "With the tournament being so early in the spring, outcomes are unpredictable. It is a great opportunity for us to get a big win by beating Arkansas."
This is only ISU's second time competing in this prestigious tournament. When the team debuted at the tournament last year, they were defeated by Oklahoma in the first round of play.
Kennett feels that his team will enter this year's tournament with more confidence and experience.
"Last year, we learned a lot playing against a top program like Oklahoma," said Kennett. "We had some tough matches against the Sooners that helped us learn that we can compete at this tournament.
"We will enter this year's tournament with great confidence knowing the level of energy needed to play in this atmosphere."
The ITA Central Region Team Indoor Championships, which will be hosted by Tulsa, at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center, January 20-21.
