CHAMPAIGN - They''re headed down the road to the national championship, but Oliver Freelove and his Illinois

tennis chums still have a long trip ahead of them.

   "I would like to think, by the time I leave here, we could

have challenged for a national title," Freelove said in that thick British accent

of his. "I think that''s a conceivable goal."

   Freelove''s a sophomore. That gives Craig Tiley two years to turn

what''s been a toad of a men''s tennis program into a prince.

   "It would be a huge upset for Illinois to win the national

title this year," said Tiley, the fourth-year coach. "Next year, and the

year after that, it won''t be quite as big."

   The Illini, Big Ten champs for the first time since the Truman

administration, throw the Region IV NCAA Qualifying Tournament this weekend, 1 of

8 in the country.

   Win that, and it''s off to Los Angeles for the NCAA Championships,

where the Illini never have been.

   Never ever.

   "You gotta start somewhere," UI senior Jerry Turek said.

"If we went to nationals this year, that would be a nice building block for

the program."

   But winning the thing - this time around, anyway - probably would

be asking too much.

   Here''s why:

They''re underage

   Tiley certainly won''t have to worry about his guys checking out

the L.A. nightclub scene.

   "If it''s not the youngest team in the NCAAs, it''s one of them,"

Tiley said.

   Freshmen at Nos. 1 (Cary Franklin), 6 (Jeff Laski) and 7 (Matt

Snyder). Sophomores at Nos. 2 (Gavin Sontag), 4 (Freelove) and 5 (Jakub Teply). Junior

at No. 8 (Brady Blain).

   "A lot of people on this team are just learning how to play

tennis at that (big-time) level," Laski said.

   "Right now, we''re a really talented team, but all the skills

aren''t in place yet."

   Laski, 22-7, boasts the UI''s second-best record. Tops on the team

is Big Ten Freshman of the Year Franklin, Tiley''s most prized recruit, who''s gone

29-8, including 9-4 at No. 1 singles.

   "Going into championships ... you don''t really know what to

expect because you''re dealing with a group of young guys," Tiley said.

The crummy C-U weather

   It doesn''t take a meteorology degree to figure out what the last

38 NCAA champs have in common: Stanford (14 titles), Southern Cal (11), UCLA (10),

Georgia (two) and Trinity of Texas (one).

   "They''re all from the warm climates, and that''s something

we''ll never be able to overcome," Tiley said.

   Last cold-weather school to win the thing? Notre Dame in 1959.

   Last (and only) Big Ten team to do it? Michigan, ''57.

   Just getting to L.A. is a big deal if you''re not from the South,

Texas or California. Only three members of this week''s Top 20 aren''t: No. 7 Boise

State, No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 19 Illinois.

Gimpy Gavin

   The medical terminology for Sontag''s current condition is spondylolysis.

   English translation: big trouble.

   Sontag''s back has been acting up on him for two years, but it''s

never been worse than it was in East Lansing, Mich., two weeks ago. The pain was

so excruciating, he was forced to withdraw from his match in the Sunday Big Ten final,

costing Illinois a point.

   "That was the worst it''s ever been, and it''s because he had

played so much tennis up to that point," Tiley said. "Going into the weekend,

he was great."

   A specialist told Sontag last week he has the beginnings of a stress

fracture in his spine, like 6 percent of the population. He was fitted for a brace

and will try to lug it around on the court.

   Status: iffy.

   "It''s very important that we have him," Laski said. "When

things are going well for him, it seems like things are going well for the team.

   "And you don''t want to have to make last-minute adjustments

at this point."

Region''s tough enough

   True, Tiley''s Illini have dropped all of two matches at Atkins

Tennis Center the last two years.

   But one of those losses - a 4-3 close call last year - was to Notre

Dame, the top seed at this weekend''s event.

   The Irish have owned the Illini in recent years, whipping them

5-2 in January (no Franklin) and 4-1 in March.

   "With Notre Dame here, a 2 seed is about the best we could

have hoped for," Turek said.

   Northwestern and Indiana, which both handed Illinois 4-3 losses

during the regular season, also will be on hand.

   The two will square off in a Saturday morning semifinal, the winner

meeting Illinois that afternoon.

   Illinois never has won a regional tournament.

   "There will be some surprises this weekend, I suspect,"

Tiley said. "You''ve got six teams that are all pretty close."

Tiger Woods'' alma mater

   The second-ranked Stanford Cardinal, Laski''s and Freelove''s pick

to click, have Cary Franklins up and down the lineup.

   And a few more on the bench.

   "The top juniors in the country go to Stanford, automatically,"

Freelove said. "They don''t even have to worry about recruiting because everyone

wants to go there."

   Illinois is no Stanford.

   "To get the No. 1 player in the country to choose Illinois

over Stanford, I''ve got to get a little lucky," Tiley said.

   It''s more than weather. Stanford devotes two pages of its tennis

media guide to ex-Cardinals in the pros (the McEnroe boys, David Wheaton, Jared Palmer,

Jonathan Stark, Jeff Tarango, etc).

   And another couple pages to its national title teams (14, including

1995 and ''96).

   "I''m not saying we don''t have support, but out there, it''s

at a different level," Tiley said. "We go to play at Stanford, the stands

are full. You''d compare it to women''s basketball in Illinois as far as interest."

Serve''s up

   

What: Region IV NCAA Menís Tennis Qualifying Tournament

When: Friday-Sunday. Second-seeded Illinois plays Northwestern-Indiana

winner at 1 p.m. Saturday. Winner advances to 1 p.m. Sunday final.

Where: Atkins Tennis Center

Who: Host Illinois plus five others: Notre Dame, Purdue, Minnesota, Northwestern,

Indiana

Main attractions: Notre Dame, ranked 15th, and Illinois, 19th, are the

favorites, but No. 28 Northwestern could surprise. The top players on hand are both

freshmen: Notre Dameís Ryan Sachire, 30th in the Rolex collegiate rankings, and Illinoisí

Cary Franklin, 53rd.

At stake: Region IV champion and seven others join UCLA, Ole Miss, Stanford,

Georgia, Boise State, Kentucky, LSU and Mississippi State at NCAA Championships in

Los Angeles next weekend.