In college tennis one of the tough things for a freshman is to deal with the disappointment of fighting your tail off without getting the results you wanted and now you have to go at it in singles.

That was just an incredible match, anyone who saw it felt like they just watched two pros go at it. [Illinois has] three guys that are just incredible, but no matter who Mark plays, he has shown he is capable of playing with anybody -- whoever he plays is in for a fight.

The guys did a good job of being just tough. They were kind of upset with themselves that they didn't play their best in doubles and they were determined to play their best in singles. Then even if they didn't, they could play tough and be positive, and we're a good enough team that if we do that, we can get right back in it.

This was a solid start for us. Our veterans played well and the freshmen did a great job in their first competition. They had high intensity and they did a great job of putting opponents away when they had the chance.

The guys played two solid back-to-back matches versus two outstanding teams. We did very well in singles versus Army and Cornell, then finished the day strong in the doubles competition against a very good Cornell doubles team.

When you're playing a team like that indoors, it's a little hard to stop the momentum or to slow them down.