URBANA, Ill. – Riding a two-match winning streak, the Eastern Kentucky University men's tennis team will hit the road to face No. 14 Illinois on Friday at the Atkins Tennis Center.
Friday's match is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET. Fans can follow live scoring online
here.
EKU (11-13) enters Friday on a two-match winning streak after defeating Southern Indiana and Bellarmine by a combined score of 8-1 on Wednesday in Richmond. The victories secured the Colonels' second 10-win season since the program was reinstated in 2022.
With Wednesday's wins over regional opponents, EKU has likely secured a top-five seed in the 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, set for April 14-18 in Fort Myers, Florida. It would mark the program's third ASUN Tournament appearance as a league member.
Four Colonels enter Friday's match on singles winning streaks.
Senior
Fernando Bulnes picked up a straight-sets victory over Bellarmine's Ryan Perkins, 6-2, 6-1, for his team-leading ninth win of the spring season.
Freshmen
Ilie Cazac,
Marek Nano, and
Joao Barreto each carry two-match winning streaks, with all victories coming in straight sets during EKU's recent matches against mid-major opponents Northern Kentucky, Southern Indiana, and Bellarmine.
Nano will look to continue his strong play from the No. 2 court. The Slovakia native earned wins over Jacksonville State's David Krasner (7-6, 6-2) and Bellarmine's Eli Wood (6-4, 7-5) in his last two outings.
Friday's match against No. 14 Illinois marks EKU's third nationally ranked opponent and ninth Power Five opponent this season.
One of the top programs in the country, Illinois (16-5, 6-2 Big Ten) enters Friday following a 6-1 road win over Penn State in conference play.
The Fighting Illini own four top-25 victories this season, including wins over No. 23 Kentucky (4-2) on Jan. 24 during ITA Kickoff Weekend and home victories over No. 15 Duke (4-1), No. 8 Baylor (4-1), and No. 6 TCU (4-2) on their home courts.
Senior Kenta Miyoshi, ranked No. 23 nationally in singles, leads Illinois with a 12-6 overall record and is 6-0 in Big Ten play from the No. 1 court.
