Feb. 1, 2013

CHICAGO - The UIC men's tennis team (1-3) prepares for a busy schedule this weekend, as they face Wisconsin, UW-Whitewater and Northern Illinois. On Saturday, the Flames take on the Badgers at noon (CT) at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis., before going up against the Warhawks in a neutral-site match at 5:30 (CT). UIC returns to Illinois on Sunday for a 1 p.m. (CT) match against the Huskies in Rockford, Ill., at Boylan Tennis Center.

"We are looking forward to a very competitive weekend," head coach Hans Neufeld said. "It will help us prepare for the upcoming conference schedule."

The Flames return to the courts after suffering a 7-0 loss against Marquette on Jan. 26. While Alan Reifer, Christopher Cole and Rahul Kamath took each of their singles matches to three sets, UIC was unable to come away with a win through singles and doubles.

Saturday's match with Wisconsin marks the fourth-consecutive meeting for the teams, with the Badgers coming out on top the last three seasons, including last year's 7-0 defeat. Wisconsin is 2-0 this season, with wins against Southern Illinois and UMKC.

Following their match with the Badgers, the Flames take on UW-Whitewater, who hold an NCAA Division III Central Region preseason ranking at No. 8. The Warhawks 0-1 this season, with a 6-1 loss coming versus Northern Illinois.

After taking a 4-3 win over the Huskies during the 2009-10 season, the Flames suffered a 5-0 loss last year at the Flames Outdoor Tennis Courts. This season, Northern Illinois is 2-1, defeating UW-Whitewater and Chicago State and falling to No. 35 Minnesota.