BLOOMINGTON - Almost 20 years removed from high school, the Evergreen Racket Club Men's 4.5 tennis team is headed to the United States Tennis Association National Team Tennis Tournament.

For the 13 guys from Bloomington-Normal on the way to Tucson, Ariz., in mid-October, team tennis has provided an opportunity for a nostalgic glimpse at days gone by and a way to enjoy the present.

"It's almost a little bit of reliving the glory days of growing up being on your high school or college team," said Matt Morkin, who co-captains the team with John Robertson.

"But mostly it's the fun of being around teammates and competing. The tennis brings us together. It's the stuff we do after tennis that is the most fun."

Morkin and Robertson made the USTA national team tennis tournament three years ago. This time it has been a learning experience for the local gang.

"One of the things we found out was these teams get younger and younger every year and we get older and older," said Robertson, 45, of Bloomington. "Another thing was the idea that some of these states have really started trying to get a team together to represent that state and region well at nationals."

Morkin and Robertson have led their team past every opponent through local, state and sectional play whether they were younger or might have looked better on paper.

At every step, the Illinois representatives have had a different person step up.

"Everybody gets pretty charged up by this idea of 'today might be my day. I might be the one providing the difference for the team at today's match,'" Robertson said.

"We've got this history of people winning at one match, somebody else winning at another match and even a third group winning at a third match."

That history is in part due to the fact that many of the team members played together in high school and/or college.

Drue Anderson and Chris Jetton are one example of guys who were teammates at Bloomington High School and then again at Illinois Wesleyan. Now they're doubles partners.

The familiarity this group has cultivated on and off the court has proven to be an advantage.

"It definitely gives you pressure," Robertson said. "It's more than about whether you win your match or not, you don't want to let your team down."

"It's a little motivational," added Morkin, 40, of Bloomington. "We bring up history. 'Hey, I won my match what happened to you.'"

Now it's only a question of which guy will be motivated by his friends to step up at nationals.