The following post was written by deputy sports editor Stuart Lieberman.

At the end of March the women’s basketball team’s orange jerseys looked
like fireflies driving to the hoop. The players pushed their way to the Big Ten
Championship game with victories against Wisconsin, Michigan State and
Purdue along the way. The Illini were on the verge of a possible NCAA
Tournament bid before they lost to Purdue in the championship game.

Illinois failed to receive a bid, however it advanced to the third round of the
WNIT, where it lost to Marquette, the eventual tournament winners. But from
there, the fireflies started dropping and everything went up in question.

Junior guard Lori Bjork quit the team. Five days later, freshman guard
Chelsea Buher quit as well. Bjork will receive her bachelor’s degree in political
science this May and pursue graduate studies at another university.

Meanwhile, for the five days between the two announcements, Buher may
have been the top starting guard for the team. Now, with the two departing and
senior guard Rebecca Harris graduating, the team will struggle to find a solid
backcourt before next season.

If you would like to put it this way, the team is now just about all Jenna
Smith’s, the honorable mention All-American. Junior Chelsea Gordon and
sophomore Lacey Simpson will be Smith’s two deputies, but other than that
everything else right now is a hole waiting to be filled.

Head coach Jolette Law signed four student-athletes to letters of intent last
week, and one must hope they are as good on a college court as they look on
paper.

But for now, maybe Smith donning No. 13 on her jersey is not such a smart
idea after all.

The following post was written by staff writer Alex Iniguez.

Today, I’m digging deeper into Illinois men’s tennis’ woes at the No. 3 doubles spot.

Head coach Brad Dancer has tried out four different combinations at the position, which has been a troublesome spot in the Illini attack all season.

Here are the four combinations used at the No. 3 spot and their records:

Waylon Chin/Marc Spicijaric (5-4)

Connor Roth/Abe Souza (1-1)

Marc Spicijaric/Connor Roth (3-2)

Brandon Davis/Waylon Chin (6-1, led 5-4 in only unfinished match)

Overall Record: 14-8

In contrast, the No. 1 and No. 2 spots have a 35-11 record combined.

After the team’s loss at Wisconsin, Dancer speculated that his team may not be good enough to recover and win a match after losing the doubles point. I’d have to agree with him from what I’ve seen up to this point. Illinois’ record when losing the doubles point is 0-5. When winning the doubles point, the Illini are 16-2.

Before teaming with Chin, Davis played primarily at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles with Gonzales. The duo had plenty of triumphs, but Davis seems better fit to provide some crucial senior leadership to the No. 3 spot. Dancer recognizes the fact that he kept Davis paired with Gonzales for too long.

So has the newfound success at No. 3 doubles translated to team victories?

Since pairing Davis with Chin, the Orange and Blue have only dropped one match – a 5-2 loss to No. 2 Ohio State. In that time, Illinois defeated four top-50 teams – No. 41 Kentucky, No. 40 Penn State, No. 37 Indiana and No. 17 Michigan.

“It’s a pretty good combination because he hits pretty good returns and has a decent serve, so I’m able to use my strengths at the net,” Davis said. “I’ve been playing solid return games, and we’ve just been meshing lately.”

Dancer may have found the right combination to fill the No. 3 doubles spot. Sure, if Chin and Davis were paired earlier, some outcomes might have been different, but it seems the Illini are getting solid play at the No. 3 spot when it matters most.

Chin and Davis have solidified the spot, and the tandem could be just what this Illinois team needs. If Davis and Chin can keep up their impressive play, the Illini could not only be looking at a strong showing in the Big Ten Championships, but also at another deep NCAA Tournament run.

“Brandon’s skill and ability to dominate the doubles court is maybe unparalleled in college tennis,” Dancer said. “We need to find the right person to complement Brandon, but Waylon’s done a pretty good job at it so far.”

The following post was written by staff writer Kyle Diller.

The women golfers have been fantastic this spring having placed in the top five in four of their five tournament appearances. In two of those top-five finishes the Illini took top honors, including the Illini Classic. The team has really hit good form in this spring season and the majority of their success comes from experience and a strong team bond.

In the current team make-up, four members of the six-woman team are seniors. The seniors have provided the team not only with experience, but with strong leadership. They have pass down their knowledge to the younger golfers and help them as they look to improve their game for future seasons. Having been together four years the bond is probably strong and I’m sure the rest of the team has been brought into that. These factors have been key in the helping the team reach the success that it has had this season.

With the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Regionals coming up and being such competitive tournaments this success has come at the perfect time. The team struggled this past weekend at the Lady Buckeye Invitational, but with the success they’ve been having they could bounce back and continue with their success in this weekend’s Big Ten tournament. With this weekend’s Big Ten Tournament being the last in the seniors’ regular season career, there is no doubt the team will want to end on the highest note.

This post was written by staff writer Bret Greenberg.

A year ago the Illini were struggling to put a full lineup out on the court because of injuries. This year, knock on wood, they have not only stayed relatively healthy, but they have proven they can be a force in the Big Ten. Last year, in head coach Michelle Dasso’s first year at the helm, the team went 5-17, winning only one conference match. This had a lot to do with the team playing hurt, sometimes to the point of forfeiting certain courts because they couldn’t field a full lineup.

This year the Illini are 11-9, 7-3. Part of this turnaround was sparked by the play of redshirt freshman Leigh Finnegan. She was forced to redshirt last season when she fractured a bone in her foot. This year she has come back strong, playing on court two singles and doubles. She even made the Illini of the Week honorable mention this week for defeating Iowa’s Milica Veselinovic, who hadn’t lost a singles match in the Big Ten all season.

Recently, the team has had a couple bumps and bruises, but nothing too serious. Sophomore Megan Fudge’s back and Kristina Minor’s ankle were dinged up, but they say it’s nothing. Fudge has been receiving some treatment for the back and Minor wears an ankle brace, and it seems neither of them has slowed down a bit in their matches. Don’t worry, these girls are warriors.

The following post was written by staff writer Anthony Zilis.

With only two meets left before the Big Ten Championship, you’ve really got to feel for 400-meter runner Omoye Ugiagbe, who can’t seem to buy a break. In her first outdoor meet, Ugiagbe finished less than half a second from the regional qualifying mark, which she would need in order to run the race at the regional championships. At the next meet, the Sun Angel Track Classic, after regionally qualifying in the 200, she missed the 400 qualifying time by only one hundredth of a second. When I asked her if she was frustrated, she stayed extremely positive, saying she was sure she would get it at the next meet, the Kansas Relays.

The Kansas Relays came around and Ugiagbe was poised to run the regional qualifying time. She said that she would be ready, given the fact that she would only be running the 4×200 and the 400. As her luck has been going this season, Ugiagbe injured herself during the relay and was unable to participate in the 400. She will be out again this weekend when her team goes to California for the Brutus Hamilton Invitational.

Her only race before Big Tens will be the uncompetitive Illinois Twilight next Wednesday, and that’s only if she’s completely healed. When I talked to associate head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey, she said she wasn’t sure if Ugiagbe would be ready by next Wednesday. In other words, cross your fingers for good weather at Big Tens — her last chance to qualify.

Also, due to word constraints, I had to cut out of my last article the fact that Rachel Hernandez finished sixth in the Invitational Division of the 800 with a regional qualifying time of 2:09.93. She’s been consistently putting up solid times this year.

That’s all from me, Champaign’s finest women’s track reporter.

The following post was written by staff writer Lee Ann Sangalang.

Each week, the Illinois’ men’s golf team features a different lineup. While this may allow room for criticism because of the lack of consistency, even all the way into last week, the final week of the regular season, this flexibility may be the Illini’s biggest asset.

The team is at least seven-deep. Three individuals have taken first place medals — freshman Scott Langley, freshman Chris DeForest, and redshirt sophomore Matt Hoffman. The other four players that played in the Varsity lineup this season (Mark Ogren, Larry Blatt, Jon Krick, and Zach Barlow) have led the Illini at a tournament at least at one point. With this depth, head coach Mike Small really could not go wrong picking a lineup for this week’s Big Ten tournament.

Each player has the ability to come out on top. In addition, these players are of all different grade levels. The lineup boasts two freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors, and a senior. The upperclassmen have experience on their side and have capitalized. The trio – Blatt, Ogren, and Krick – have the second, third, and fourth highest stroke averages respectively. At the same time, the underclassmen are the ones who have taken all the titles this season. In collegiate sports, where seniority plays a huge part in deciding lineups, the men’s golf team has shown the underclassmen can compete just as well – and now hone talents for seasons to come.

The team has had nearly equal playing time between the seven. Langley is the sole individual who has been in every lineup. Small’s rotation has seasoned every player into being able to compete. The added healthy competition between players for spots in the lineup has allowed them to focus. With seven capable players and the top-five playing in the postseason, Illinois is going to be a force to reckon this weekend in East Lansing, Mich.

The following post was written by staff writer Kate Munson.

While the Illini (27-26, 6-8 Big Ten) may not have a particularly remarkable record, their offensive statistics are impressive.

The Fighting Illini are third in the Big Ten with a team batting average of .290. Senior shortstop Angelena Mexicano is leading the charge. She has belted 20 homeruns on the season, breaking the record she and teammate Shanna Diller set for most Illini long-balls in a single season when they each hit 16 in the 2007 season. Mexicano’s 20 homers are good for most in the Big Ten and the nation. She also has 53 RBIs for the Illini, second in the Big Ten, and is batting .367 on the season for eighth in the conference.

But she isn’t the only productive Illinois hitter. Lana Armstrong and Sarah Bryers are also in the top five of Big Ten run producers. And Shanna Diller is right behind Mexicano in average, batting .353 on the season.

So how can a team be close to the top of their conference in average and leading or in the top in individual offensive categories, especially RBIs, and still be below the .500 mark in conference play?

Look no further than pitching. As a staff, Illinois pitchers have a 4.09 ERA. Michigan has the lowest ERA in the Big Ten at 0.62. Indiana (13-31, 3-11) is the only team in the conference with a higher team ERA than the Orange and Blue at 4.79.

The following post was written by staff writer Bret Greenberg.

Tracy McGrady will have to put Houston on his shoulders and play a complete game to give the injury-riddled Rockets a chance to catch up with Utah in the opening round of the 2008 NBA playoffs. With injuries to All-Star center Yao Ming and starting point guard Rafer Alston, McGrady and his teammates have to pick up the scoring load. Luckily for the Rockets, Alston is expected to return later in first round from his strained hamstring. But it may be too late. Down 2-0 in a best of seven series, the Rockets are heading into the house that head coach Jerry Sloan built, where the Jazz had the best regular season home record at 37-4.

Houston’s shooters need to take some pressure off of McGrady. Former Illini guard Luther Head has struggled to find his shot off the bench in the first two games, shooting 1-9. This has forced coach Rick Adelman to keep him there. Head has seen 20 minutes of playing time in the first two games. During the regular season, he played about 19 minutes a game where he put up 7.6 points per contest. It’s time for him to find his playoff stroke and help his team.

The other side of this Illni playoff battle is former alum, and current MVP candidate, Deron Williams. Williams has been key at the point guard position for the Jazz, who just a year ago made it to the Western Conference Finals. The playoff run for the Jazz was sparked by a game seven win over the Rockets in the first round. This year, the Jazz may finish the Rockets in four.

Williams put up 20 points and 10 assists a night in the regular season, and has contributed 21 points and 7.5 assists a game in the playoffs thus far.

Williams though, has been suffering through a tailbone injury he sustained April 12 against the Denver Nuggets. He aggravated the injury against the Spurs in the final game of the regular season. On Monday, at the end of the third quarter, he came down awkwardly from a pick set by Houston’s Aaron Brooks. He was escorted to the locker room, but returned in the fourth quarter. He apparently wasn’t wearing his padded compression shorts.

The Jazz’s game plan to stop McGrady appeared to be successful in the first two games. Though the franchise guard put up nearly a triple double in game two, he was held to just one point in the fourth quarter, when it counted. The Jazz threw new, fresh defenders at him all game to wear him down. His legs didn’t look fresh in the fourth quarter of game one either, where he was held scoreless. The bottom line is, if the Rockets are going to make it out of the first round, Tracy McGrady will have to play the way he is capable of for all 48 minutes, and his shooters will have to step up and make some shots.