University of Illinois
Minnesota
Illinois Gears Up For Big Ten Tournament
April 24, 2019 | Women's Tennis
2019 Big Ten Tournament
| Date | Friday vs. Minnesota - 2 p.m. CT | Saturday, Sunday - TBA |
| Location | Dillon Tennis Center | Lincoln, Neb. |
| Info | Championship Central |
| Live Links | Live Scoring | Live Streaming (Inside only) |
| 2019 Information | Match Notes | Season Stats | Record Book |
URBANA, Ill. - Winners of eight of their last nine, the red-hot Illinois women's tennis team gets set for the 2019 Big Ten Tournament, held April 25-28, in Lincoln, Nebraska. The No. 3 seed Illini will open play against sixth-seeded Minnesota on Friday, April 26, at 2.pm. CT.
Match Points
- The Illini are 20-23 in the Big Ten Tournament since the tournament format was changed to single elimination in 1996.
- UI has competed in the two Big Ten Tournament finals (2001, 2011).
- The Orange and Blue hold a record of 30-18 in the all-time series against Minnesota and have won the last seven over the Gophers.
- Illinois is a perfect 12-0 when winning at No. 5 singles.
Illinois in the ITA Rankings
The Fighting Illini women's tennis team appears at No. 30 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. 44 in the singles rankings.
Strength of Schedule
The Illini have competed against 10 teams currently ranked in the top 30 in the country this season. Duke checks in at No. 4 in the most recent ITA Rankings, followed by Texas at No. 8, Kansas at No. 13, Michigan at No. 17, Texas A&M at No. 18, Virginia at No. 21, Wake Forest at No. 22, UCF at No. 24, Texas Tech at No. 26 and Northwestern at No. 29.
Illinois' strength of schedule ranks 20th in the nation, according to slam.tennis.
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