Match 3: Illinois vs. Duke
URBANA, Ill. - Illinois will face off against yet another ranked opponent, as the Illini head to Durham, N.C., to take on No. 4 Duke. The Blue Devils enter the weekend with a 4-0 record on the year, having picked up wins over Oklahoma State, Elon, Gonzaga and Old Dominion in the first month of the season.
First Serve: Illinois at ITA Kick Off
The Illini competed in the annual ITA Kick-Off event, held in Stillwater, Okla., and came up short to both No. 16 Kansas, 4-1, and No. 21 Virginia, 4-3. Illinois. Sophomore Emilee Duong picked up the lone singles victory for the Illini against Kansas, defeating Malkia Ngounoue, 6-4, 6-2, on court four.
UI got things rolling to start the match against Virginia, taking the doubles point and picking up singles wins on courts five and six to hold a 3-0 lead over the Cavaliers. The Illini couldn't close out the match, however, as UVA came away with four singles victories to claim the match.
Dalmagro Joins Clark's Staff
Head women's tennis coach, Evan Clark, announced the addition of Associate Head Coach German Dalmagro (pronounced Her-mahn Dal-mahg-ro) to his staff on July 31, 2018. Dalmagro joins the Orange and Blue after spending the last five years in the same position at Nebraska.
During his time in Lincoln, Dalmagro helped the Cornhuskers earn a top-60 national rankings in each of his five seasons, including as high as No. 21 this past season. The Cornhuskers also excelled academically during Dalmagro's tenure, as the team finished with the top GPA amongst all Nebraska sports in both 2014 and 2018.
Clark Signs 5-year Contract Extension
The University of Illinois and head women's tennis coach Evan Clark agreed to a five-year contract extension this past August, announced Director of Athletics Josh Whitman.
Under Clark, Illinois has emerged as one of the premier programs in the Big Ten, having finished third, fourth and tied for fourth in the conference in the last three years, respectively. Last season was one for the record books for the Illini, as the team tied for the most wins in a single season in program history (22) and earned its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2012.
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