The rolling Penn State men's tennis team came to a halt yesterday when it played No. 8 Illinois in a 5-2 loss.

The Nittany Lions (15-3, 5-2 Big Ten) ran their winning streak to seven with a 6-1 victory against Purdue Friday night. Yesterday, the No. 34 Lions took on an extremely talented Illinois team but ultimately came up short at the Penn State Tennis Center.

"We had some opportunities, but Illinois deserves a lot of credit. They showed why they are so talented and tough high in the lineup," Penn State head coach Todd Doebler said.

Penn State junior Michael James -- the Big Ten Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week -- and senior Ryan Berger, went almost point-for-point with defending doubles national champions Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe in an 8-6 loss at the No. 1 spot. However, the Lions were swept in all three matches, giving up the doubles point to Illinois.

"I gotta give Michael and Ryan a lot of credit. They played toe-to-toe with two of the best players in college tennis," Doebler said.

Penn State continued to struggle when it dropped the first sets at the second, third and fourth singles positions. However, the momentum looked as though it might change when James took an early lead and sealed his first set, 6-3, in the No. 1 match against Illinois' Kevin Anderson. Anderson has been leading the Illini with an 11-4 record and a No. 5 ranking in the nation.

James' play helped to rally Berger, who played at the No. 2 position, and helped him win his second set against No. 15 Rowe, 6-4. After battling for three sets, both James and Berger would fall to their opponents.

The loss ended James' 10-match winning streak in singles play at the No. 1 spot, including two victories against ranked players.

"I don't worry about 10 in a row," James said of his success. "That doesn't really matter to me. As long as the team wins, that's the important thing."

Penn State's only two wins came at the bottom of the lineup from Brendan Lynch playing in the No. 5 slot and senior Bradley Hunter at No. 6. After losing the first set, Lynch rallied to defeat Illini's Brandon Davis, 3-6, 6-3, 10-4 in a third-set super tiebreaker. Hunter scored a straight-set win over Jordan Knue, 6-2, 6-1.

The loss for the Lions comes after Penn State had won five out of six single sets on Friday against the Boilermakers and swept the doubles point.