Match 16 and 17: Illinois vs. Rutgers, at Maryland   

URBANA, Ill. - After more than a month on the road, the Fighting Illini women's tennis team will make a quick return to Atkins Tennis Center for a conference matchup against Rutgers on Friday, March 29, at 12 p.m. CT. Illinois will then head out east to take on Maryland on Sunday, March 31, at 10:30 a.m. CT. 

Match Notes

• Illinois is 5-0 all time against Rutgers, with the Illini winning the most recent matchup a year ago in Piscataway, N.J. (6-1).
• The Illini are 4-0 at home this season and has won nine-straight at Atkins Tennis Center. UI's last home loss was March 22, 2018 against Northwestern. 
• The Illini have won seven-straight matches over the Terrapins and hold a 7-1 advantage in the all-time series.

Strength of Schedule

The Illini have competed against nine teams currently ranked in the top 30 in the country during the first few months of the season. Duke checks in at No. 3 in the most recent ITA rankings, followed by Texas at No. 7, Texas A&M at No. 12, Wake Forest at No. 14, Kansas at No. 17, UCF at No. 21, Northwestern at No. 24, Texas Tech at No. 25 and Virginia at No. 27.

Illinois' strength of schedule ranks fifth 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 ever to earn the honor in back-to-back weeks in late February-early March.

Playing at No. 1 singles throughout the annual Blue Gray Tennis Classic, 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, 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 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.

Illinois in the ITA Rankings

The Fighting Illini women's tennis team appears at No. 36 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 40 dating back to Feb. 14, 2018.

Sophomore Asuka Kawai sits at a career-best No. 54 singles ranking. 

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