URBANA — Room 303 is the domain of chemistry teacher David Bergandine, but although he is at the front of a roomful of students, he's not talking chemistry.

That's because it's a Friday lunch meeting for tennis club, a new club this year that has brought to light a little noticed sport that is hobby to a surprising number of students at Uni.

The club began as a simple schoolwide e-mail late this summer asking who might be willing to join. According to Bergandine, several students had expressed interest in the sport last year, and he noticed that people were bringing tennis equipment to the disorientation picnic.

Only a week into the school year, around 25 students had already signed up tentatively, although less than half that many typically show up at the daily 4 to 6 p.m. practices, which have been held at the courts near Illini Grove in Urbana and at Outdoor Center Fields on First and Stadium, Champaign.

Even so, the club has obviously touched an interest previously latent in the Uni community. Perhaps more surprising is the diversity of those interested girls and boys, under- and upperclassmen alike, with varying levels of skill and experience.

"Many people come to play tennis just for fun, but others would also like to incorporate some competitive play," says junior Richard Wang, a regular at the courts after school.

So far, the club members have only done drills and played casual matches, but there is talk of forming an official IHSA tennis team at Uni.

"I think there's good potential so far from what I've seen," says Bergandine. "We have some very talented players at our school, and I think there's some talent I haven't seen."

However, despite what appears to be no shortage of student interest and ability, several obstacles bar the way.

Lack of resources could be a problem, since a full-fledged team might require the construction of Uni's own tennis courts. Also important, though, is the sustainability of a prospective tennis program.

"The biggest thing is just making sure that we have the commitment from students to be on the team," says Athletic Director Sally Walker.

She hopes to avoid having participation in the sport fade away over time, something that happened to the baseball program that was discontinued last year.

This issue would be particularly difficult for girls tennis, which the IHSA plays in the fall, because it conflicts with cross country, swimming, and volleyball. The boys team in the spring is a more likely possibility, but not for this year, although Uni students could participate in the 2008 IHSA postseason as individuals.

"If a tennis team is going to happen, it will be something that will be evaluated at the end of this year," says Walker.

Ultimately, Director/Principal Steve Epperson will make the decision, according to Walker.

The possibilities for the club are not limited to the day-in-day-out practice of the sport, however. From attending tennis events to playing video game tennis when the rain has left the courts too wet, Bergandine has a variety of ideas to fill the year even without a schedule of matches against other schools.

If all goes well, it may not be a long shot to count tennis players among the school's official team athletes next year. But for now, they'll have to run fitness just like everyone else.