The Illini women's tennis team is ready to show the collegiate tennis world what they are made of, when they gear up to play in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Tournament in Kalamazoo, Mich., starting today.

The Illini have five players in the main draw for singles and four in the main draw for doubles, which is the most the Illini have ever had, Illinois head coach Sujay Lama said.

"It says a lot for our program to have that many players competing in the main draw," Lama said. "It shows we are up there with the top teams in the region and the country."

Lama sees the opportunity for his team to show everyone how good they've become.

"We feel like we can go out there and show them that Illinois tennis is for real," Lama said.

Lama believes if the Illini play as well as they have in previous tournaments that they will fair well.

"Our preparation has been amazing, we're confident, and we've done well in our previous three tournaments," Lama said. "We have developed that killer instinct, that eye of the tiger, that we are going to beat you and not ourselves."

Senior Jennifer McGaffigan, who is playing in both singles and doubles in the main draw of the tournament, believes that the Illini's three previous tournaments have prepared them for Regionals.

"We've played two or three good warm-up tournaments, and we're match-tough," McGaffigan said. "Those tournaments have given everyone a lot of confidence and we're used to competing in matches."

Senior Tiffany Eklov, who is also playing in the main draw for both singles and doubles, says the team has a lot of confidence going into the tournament.

Lama said the tennis team is starting to develop a winning attitude, which is the key to a winning program.

"Winning is a culture and you've got to let winning become part of your culture, in the way you walk and talk and hold your racket," Lama said. "We're getting to that point. We're a confident group."