Tennis tandem claims crown

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Illinois' Dennis Nevolo and Marek Czerwinski teamed to win the ITA Midwest Regional doubles title Monday.

The duo, seeded fifth, beat Michigan's Jason Jung and George Navas 8-5 for the title. Earlier, the team knocked off the top-seeded tandem from Wisconsin 9-7.

"Dennis and Marek were down for a little bit in the match, but they showed great resiliency and maturity in how they fought back," head coach Brad Dancer said. "They were able to stay focused and just got through it point by point. ... They both did a great job of not getting down and stayed steady emotionally."

In singles, Nevolo lost 0-6, 6-4, 7-5 to eventual champ Casey Watt of Notre Dame in the semifinals.

In volleyball:

Illini up to eighth. Illinois is No. 8 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll, tying its highest ranking of the season.

The Illini (14-3), coming off a victory against then-No. 6 Minnesota, rose two spots in the latest poll, which was released Monday. Illinois, which has won its last five matches, also was eighth in the first poll of the regular season.

Edinger honored. Illini libero Ashley Edinger was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. The senior was honored after producing 19 digs against both Northwestern and Minnesota last week. Edinger also was flawless in 11 service receptions against the Wildcats and 12 more against the Gophers.

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