Match 13 and 14: Illinois vs. Indiana, Purdue  

The No. 6 Fighting Illini women's tennis team hosts a pair of Big Ten opponents this weekend at the Atkins Tennis Center. Illinois will take on the Indiana Hoosiers at 10:30 am on Saturday morning followed by the Purdue Boilermakers on Sunday at 3 pm. Illinois is coming off a 4-3 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats on March 2.

Match Facts  

• The Illini have won nine-straight matches against Indiana, dating back to March 7, 2009. 
• UI has won the past two matches against the Boilermakers. 
• Illinois completes a three-match homestand on Sunday before taking a 10-day break. After a small reprieve, the Orange and Blue are heading west to compete against their final regular season nonconference opponents, Hawaii (March 21) and UC-Santa Barbara (March 24). 

Doubles Success 

Freshman Sasha Belaya and junior Daniela Pedraza-Novak debuted in this week's Oracle/ITA doubles rankings at No. 48. The duo earned their first ranked win against Northwestern's then No. 13-ranked Chatt and Or to clinch their first doubles point last Friday afternoon. Belaya and Pedraza-Novak have compiled a team-leading 9-2 record in dual match doubles play.

Switkes Earns Big Ten Tennis Athlete of the Week: February 27 

Switkes opened the Blue Gray Tennis Classic by clinching her second-straight match as the Illini topped Yale, 4-1. The Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, native then went on to win two more singles matches over ITA-ranked opponents on February 24. Switkes was named the MVP of the tournament.

Illini Win Blue Gray National Tennis Classic 

The No. 5 University of Illinois women's tennis team won the 2018 Blue Gray National Tennis Classic on February 24 with a 4-3 win over the No. 10 Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Illinois had won seven-straight matches and improved to 10-1 overall this season.

Illinois Reaches Program's Highest Oracle/ITA Ranking 

Just two weeks after being ranked in the Oracle/ITA Top-25 for the first time since 2013, the No. 5-ranked Orange and Blue reached the highest team ranking in program history. Illinois was coming off a 2-0 weekend at the Atkins Tennis Center, where Illinois topped Iowa and a ranked Washington team. After two weeks ranked in the Top-5, Illinois has won another Top-10 matchup against No. 10 Wake Forest at the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic on February 24. 

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