CHICAGO, November 29, 2018 (Press Release)

The University of Illinois Men’s Team will host the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on February 15-18, 2019 at Midtown Athletic Club in Chicago, Ill. In its 44th year of existence, this will be the fifth time the Orange and Blue has hosted this tournament with the last being in 2015.

The annual ITA National Team Indoor Championship features 15 teams that will qualify for the event by winning their respective 2019 ITA Kick-Off Weekend four-team regional. As the host site, Illinois receives an automatic bid to the event and exempt from competing in the Kick-Off Weekend.

The teams will compete in a single-elimination tournament over a four-day to crown a national indoor champion. Each team is guaranteed three matches at the event.

“It is such an honor to partner with Midtown and their amazing club,” said head coach Brad Dancer. “We are excited every single time we have the chance to host this tournament. I am looking forward to preparing our team to make a great run there.”

The prestigious tournament is also a good indicator of who will compete for a team title at the NCAA National Championship. The Illini have won the team championship twice in program history (2003, 2004). In 2003, the Orange and Blue won this event and went on to claim the NCAA National Championship title.

Renovated in 2016, host venue, Midtown Athletic Club is a leader in the upscale fitness club and sports resort industry. What began as a single tennis club in Chicago in 1970, Midtown is now comprised of eight full-service tennis and fitness facilities throughout the United States and Canada. The Chicago location offers 16 world-class indoor tennis courts with the ultimate visual training tool, PlaySight, to track and analyze your game.

“When all of the participants, teams, coaches, fans, and everyone from around the country sees the enhancements they made to the club, they will be blown away,” noted Dancer. “It is truly a first-class resort now.”