PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Fighting Illini picked up the second win of their spring break trip on Friday afternoon in New Jersey with a 4-3 decision over Rutgers. Illinois improved to 7-6 on the season and 1-1 in Big Ten play while the Scarlet Knights fell to 6-9 and 0-5 in league action.
Illinois continued its winning ways on the doubles courts, taking the match's opening point in a 2-0 decision. This is the 11th match of the dual campaign that the Illini have claimed the opening tally. The Orange and Blue improved to an overall 25-8 on the doubles courts with today's victories.
Jerricka Boone and Madie Baillon were the first duo to finish, as the tandem took down Rutgers' Tihomirova/Lee team in a 6-2 decision at No. 2. Louise Kwong and Ines Vias were close behind, picking up a 6-2 victory of their own on the top court. Alexis Casati and Daniela Pedraza Novak abandoned their match once the Illini claimed the 1-0 lead.
First off the singles courts was Illini freshman Jaclyn Switkes who worked to a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 6. Switkes is now 4-1 in dual play.
Baillon also took home a straight-set decision at No. 5 singles, where the junior won by a line of 7-5, 6-2. The victory was the Champaign, Illinois, native's ninth of the dual campaign and gave the Orange and Blue a 3-0 advantage in the match that started outdoors but finished inside.
Rutgers worked to knot up the contest, winning the next three points at Nos. 1, 4 and 2, respectively. Kwong fell in a three-set match after claiming the opening set. The final line read 6-2, 1-6, 4-6. Boone bounced back after losing the first set to even things up, but was outlasted in a 6-2 third-set decision. Casati played a pair of tiebreakers at No. 2 but came up short in both in the loss.
The match was ultimately decided at No. 3 singles, where UI freshman Vias and RU's Ksenija Tihomirova battled across three sets. Vias lost the opener 4-6 but came back strong in set two and won the tiebreaker 7-3. The deciding set finished with a final score of 6-3 that favored Vias.
NEXT UP
Finally, the Illini will wrap up their spring break trip along with East Coast with another Big Ten match at Maryland on Sunday. First serve is slated for 10 a.m. CT.
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ILLINOIS 4, RUTGERS 3
Doubles
1: No. 46 Louise Kwong/Ines Vias def. Gina Li/Mariam Zein (RU) - 6-2
2: Jerricka Boone/Madie Baillon def. Ksenija Tihomirova/Chloe Lee (RU) - 6-2
3: Alexis Casati/Daniela Pedraza Novak vs. Lindsey Kayati/Farris Cunningham (RU) - DNF
Singles
1. Gina Li (RU) def. Louise Kwong - 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
2. Chloe Lee (RU) def. Alexis Casati - 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3)
3. Ines Vias def. Ksenija Tihomirova (RU) - 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3
4. Mariam Zein (RU) def. Jerricka Boone - 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
5. Madie Baillon (Ill.) def. Lindsey Kayati - 7-5, 6-2
6. Jaclyn Switkes def. Farris Cunningham (RU) - 6-0, 6-1
Order of finish: 2, 1, DNF & 6, 5, 1, 4, 2, 3.
