University of Illinois
#18 Texas
Fighting Illini Face Road Test at No. 18 Texas
March 18, 2019 | Women's Tennis
Match 14: Illinois at No. 18 Texas
| Date | Tuesday, March 19 - 2 p.m. CT |
| Location | Texas Tennis Center |
| Live Links | Live Stats | Video |
| 2019 Information | Season Stats | Match Notes | Record Book |
URBANA, Ill. - The Fighting Illini women's tennis team travels to Austin, Texas, for a matchup with yet another ITA-ranked opponent, as Illinois is set to take on No. 18 Texas on Tuesday, March 19, at 2 p.m. CT.
Match Notes
- The Longhorns mark the seventh Illini opponent currently ranked in the top-30 of the ITA rankings. Illinois' strength of schedule ranks sixth in the nation, according to slam.tennis.
- Illinois took down Texas, 4-2, last February at Atkins Tennis Center. The Illini are 2-4 all time against UT.
- Texas is coming off a home loss to No. 20 Pepperdine and has not lost two-straight regular season home matches since April, 2014 (vs. Oklahoma St., vs. Baylor).
Illinois in the ITA Rankings
The Fighting Illini women's tennis team appears at No. 34 in the most recent ITA Tennis rankings. After beginning the season ranked No. 21 in the preseason rankings, and eventually moving up to No. 18, the Illini had three tough losses against top-20 teams to knock them out of the top 25. Prior to the Blue Gray Classic, Illinois sat at No. 22. The Illini have been in the top 35 dating back to Feb. 14, 2018.
Sophomore Asuka Kawai sits at a career-best No. 54 singles ranking.
Strength of Schedule
The Illini have competed against six teams ranked in the top 30 in the country during the first few monrhs of the season. Duke checks in at No. 3 in the most recent ITA rankings, followed by Kansas at No. 10, Northwestern at No. 18, Virginia at No. 24, Texas Tech at No. 25 and Texas A&M at No. 29.
Illinois' strength of schedule currently ranks sixth in the nation, according to slam.tennis.
Kawai Earns Back-to-Back B1G Weekly Honors
Asuka Kawai has had a stellar start to the season, as the sophomore became the first Illini women's tennis athlete to earn back-to-back Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week honors in late February-early March.
Playing at No. 1 singles throughout the annual Blue Gray Tennis Classic past weekend, Kawai picked up wins over two ITA-ranked opponents, including No. 40 Emma Davis from Wake Forest (6-3, 3-6, 6-2) and No. 36 Felicity Maltby from Texas Tech (6-4, 3-6, 6-1). Kawai also paired up with fellow-sophomore Mia Rabinowitz to earn doubles victories over both Alabama's Selim/Gintrand (6-2) and Texas Tech's Sella/Peet (6-3).
Kawai continued her stellar play at No. 13 Northwestern on Friday, as the Palatine, Ill., native defeated No. 30 Clarissa Hand, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, to mark her third-straight singles victory over a top-40 ITA ranked opponent. Paired with Rabinowitz, Kawai also added a doubles victory, as the two took down NU's Pozo/Doshi, 6-2.
Home Sweet Home
The Fighting Illini women's tennis team turned in a perfect 4-0 homestand in early February, which featured wins over Notre Dame (4-3), Oregon (4-3), Texas A&M (4-3) and Baylor (6-1). Illinois was led by sophomore Mia Rabinowitz, who went undefeated in both singles and doubles play.
Fellow-sophomore Sasha Belaya also went 3-1 in singles play, highlighted by a 6-0, 6-0 sweep over Oregon's Taryn Fujimori.
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