News & Features

When it comes to college tennis, the University of Illinois has a proud tradition. The Fighting Illini - NCAA Champions in 2003 - are perennial NCAA contenders. They had won eight consecutive Big 10 titles before falling to Ohio State in last year's final. And coverage in the school paper and local media are second to none.

As the tennis season begins, there will certainly be talk about how coach Brad Dancer has his team positioned to challenge both the Big 10 and NCAA in 2006-07.

But Dancer has also been hitting the recruiting trail hard for the future. His investment has already paid off with early verbal commitments from a pair of 5-Star recruits: Abraham Souza and Connor Roth. Both will be fantastic additions to the squad: they are rated as the top recruits in Missouri and Illinois, respectively.

We got the chance to talk to Souza and Roth - who both stand 6'2" and 165 lbs. - about their decision to wear the Orange and Blue in 2007.