UIC will conclude the home portion of its schedule, and play its only home conference match of the season, Saturday afternoon against Green Bay. The match is scheduled for 1:00 pm at Flames Outdoor Tennis Courts, weather permitting. It will be the final home match for seniors
Marcelo Dib and
Piotr Lada, as well as junior
Kailash Panchapakesan, who will be graduating after just three years. Senior manager Usman Mirza will also be recognized at his last home match.
The Flames enter play with a 3-0 record in Horizon League competition. They are in first place and have clinched a spot in the postseason tournament. A win over Green Bay would position the Flames to compete for a first-round bye with just one weekend of the regular season to go. Byes go to the top two teams in the final standings.
The Phoenix have won the last 11 meetings, including in the first round of last season's Horizon League tournament. In last year's regular season matchup, which was postponed because of heavy snow in Green Bay, the Phoenix snapped UIC's three-match winning streak.
Flames to Watch
- Johan Hedstrom has won four of his last five singles matches, all in the #1 flight which he moved into at the end of February.
- Pelle Strandberg is also undefeated in conference singles play.
- Hedstrom and Kasper Parlklo are on a five match doubles winning streak.
- Marcelo Dib has anchored the #3 doubles spot, with three conference wins among two different partners.
Last Time Out
- The Flames defeated IUPUI, 4-3, before falling to Butler, 4-2, in a doubleheader last Saturday.
- UIC won the doubles point in both matches.
- Parlklo, Strandberg, and Hedstrom all had straight-sets singles wins over the Jaguars.
- Anthony Nguyen, playing in the #3 singles flight for the first time, won his match against Butler.
Scouting the Phoenix
- Green Bay enters the weekend with a 2-2 Horizon League record. They will be playing their first conference road match Saturday.
- Miles McDowall is the Horizon League Singles Player of the Week, having gone 2-0 against Northern Kentucky and Wright State last weekend.
- Charlie Croxford and Lachlan Napier are the league's Doubles Team of the Week. They are 3-0 in conference play.
- Dipin Wadhwa and Napier each have a conference singles record above .500.
