Big Ten Tournament Central | Bracket (PDF)

URBANA, Ill. – With an 8-3 record in regular-season Big Ten play, the Illinois women's tennis team earned the fourth seed in the 2016 Big Ten Tournament hosted by Michigan State from Thursday, April 28, through Sunday, May 1, in East Lansing, Michigan. Illinois' best regular-season finish since 2012 earned the squad a first-round bye. UI will face fifth-seeded Maryland on Friday, April 29, in the quarterfinals at 9 a.m. CT to open post-season play.

During Illinois' East Coast spring break road trip, the Orange and Blue paid a visit to College Park, Maryland, and took down the Terrapins in a 5-2 decision. The Illini picked up wins on the top two doubles courts to get the match's opening tally and then saw Louise Kwong, Alexis Casati, Madie Baillon and Jaclyn Switkes all defeat their UM counterparts.

Since the two sides last met, Illinois has gone 6-2 while Maryland closed the regular season with a 4-3 reading. The Terps finished with a 6-5 record in Big Ten action and 10-11 overall.

Illinois enters the weekend with an Oracle/ITA ranking of 51 while the Maryland squad is unranked. Kwong, who plays primarily at the top singles spot for the Illini, has made several appearances in the individual rankings and currently owns the No. 118 spot. Additionally, Kwong and Ines Vias rank at No. 44 as a doubles tandem. Maryland's duo of Alexandra Stanova and Kristina Hovsepyan come in at No. 84 for the second-consecutive week.

The winner of the Illinois-Maryland contest will advance to face the victor of the No. 1 Ohio State vs. Minnesota/Wisconsin match. First serve for the semifinal bout is slated for 9 a.m. CT, on Saturday, April 30.

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