KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The No. 14 Tennessee men’s tennis team defeated Illinois, 4-2, Saturday afternoon in the opening round of ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Vols dropped the doubles point, but the singles part of the match was filled with some intense competition.

No. 14 Tennessee (4-1) defeated Illinois (0-1), 4-2, on Saturday at Goodfriend Tennis Center in the ITA Kickoff Weekend. Alejandro Moreno earned a win for Tennessee with a, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, victory on court five.

The 10-team OVC will feature a schedule with each team playing each other in one three-game series for a 27-game conference schedule from March 8 through May 4. The conference’s season concludes with the OVC Softball Championship Tournament in Peoria, Illinois May 7-10.

The Tennessee State Tigers (9-12, 5-5 OVC) play the Western Illinois Leathernecks (8-13, 2-8 OVC) in a clash of OVC squads at 8:00 PM ET on Thursday. The game airs on ESPN+. Advertisement Article ...

Saturday's OVC slate includes the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (10-11, 5-5 OVC) against the Eastern Illinois Panthers (5-15, 1-8 OVC), at 4:00 PM ET on ESPN+. Advertisement Article continues below ...

The Vols likely would catapult onto the No. 1 seed line with a win at Auburn, but it would carry weight beyond the immediate effect on bracketology. A win at Auburn would give Tennessee two marquee road wins on its NCAA Tournament profile come Selection Sunday. The other was a 66-64 win at Illinois On dec. 14.

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Illinois is ranked 18th in the new AP Top 25 poll, released Monday. The Illini (14-6, 6-4 Big Ten) also are 20th in the coaches' poll.

Percentages: FG .393, FT .650. 3-Point Goals: 4-16, .250 (Jacobi 2-4, Fruster 2-5, Connor 0-1, Curtis 0-1, Sawyer 0-1, Stapleton 0-1, Shelton 0-3). Team Rebounds: 6 ...

Totals 27-52 24-29 84. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Halftime_Tennessee St. 40-28. 3-Point Goals_E. Illinois 4-16 (Jacobi 2-4, Fruster 2-5, Connor 0-1, Curtis 0-1, Sawyer 0-1 ...

Totals 27-52 24-29 84. Halftime_Tennessee St. 40-28. 3-Point Goals_E. Illinois 4-16 (Jacobi 2-4, Fruster 2-5, Connor 0-1, Curtis 0-1, Sawyer 0-1, Stapleton 0-1, Shelton 0-3), Tennessee St. 6-16 ...

Tennessee has a penchant for fouling 3-point shooters at a seemingly high rate, especially for a team that relies on senior guards. It committed a season-high three fouls on 3-point shooters at Illinois in December, with two by Mashack. Zeigler had one ...