Off to their best Horizon League start in 10 years, UIC will look to improve to 3-0 in conference play when they take on IUPUI Saturday morning.
An early start at 9 am Central will greet the Flames and Jaguars at West Indy Racquet Club. That will be the first match of a doubleheader in Indianapolis. Later that evening, the Flames will make a very shot drive across town to face Butler on their campus at 6 pm.
The last time UIC started Horizon League play with two wins, they went on to finish the campaign 6-1 and later advanced to the championship match at the conference tournament. That team won their first five Horizon League matches.
Flames to Watch
- Kailash Panchapakesan and Marcelo Dib are the reigning Horizon League Doubles Team of the Week. They picked up a pair of 6-2 wins over Northern Kentucky and Wright State. The pair is undefeated in three matches since Dib's return from injury.
- Johan Hedstrom and Kasper Parlklo are on a three-match doubles winning streak. That does not include their last outing, which stood at 5-3 with the Flames serving for the match when play was halted.
- Hedstrom and Pelle Strandberg are each on a three match winning streak in singles play. They, along with Anthony Nguyen, are all 2-0 in conference matches.
Last Time Out
- The Flames capped an undefeated weekend with a 5-2 win over Wright State Sunday.
- After sweeping the doubles point, the Flames quickly clinched the team win as they garnered the first five points of the match.
- Niko Wasilewicz, Strandberg, Nguyen, and Hedstrom were singles winners for UIC. Wright State's only singles wins came in third set tiebreakers.
Scouting the Opposition
- IUPUI will also enter the match with an unblemished 2-0 record in league play.
- Eric Hollingsworth leads the Jaguars with 12 singles wins. Alex Jochim and Sean Bailey each have seven wins at the top of the lineup.
- Bailey and Ethan Mardanus-Budio have been dominant at #3 doubles, where they have racked up a 10-2 record.
- Following a nine match winning streak, Butler has alternated wins and losses in their last four outings, pending a Friday afternoon match against Xavier.
- Wins against four Horizon League teams – Youngstown State, Cleveland State, Green Bay, and Wright State – appear on the Bulldogs' schedule.
- Mason Dragos has a 16-4 record at #1 singles. Butler's top three singles players each have at least 10 wins in their respective flight.
