CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women's tennis team earned a doubleheader sweep with a 7-0 win over Eastern Illinois, before blanking Chicago State, 4-0, on Sunday (January 23) at Atkins Tennis Center.
After falling to then-No. 11 Baylor in its season opener, the Illini have won four-straight for a 4-1 overall record in the young season.
"I'm proud of the way they handled the day," said head coach Evan Clark. "It's not an easy day for anyone, playing two matches back-to-back. It was a good indicator that they're in good shape and they handled the situation very, very well. We're pleased to get two wins today."
Illinois 7, Eastern Illinois 0
The Illini cruised to the doubles point against the Panthers (0-2) as and junior Emily Casati and freshman Kasia Treiber posted a 6-0 win on court three, before sophomore Kate Duong and freshman Megan Heuser finished off their match at No. 1 doubles with a 6-1 win.
It was all Illini in singles as the home team did not give up a set for the second-straight match with freshman Kida Ferrari and Treiber striking first with back-to-back 6-1, 6-0 wins on courts four and three, respectively. The third Illini freshman – Heuser – then secured the team victory with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles, before senior Shivani Ingle finished off her match on court six, 6-0, 6-2. After a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 1 singles from Duong, Casati wrapped up the 7-0 match with a 6-2, 7-5 victory on court five.
Illinois 4, Chicago State 0
It was another strong showing in doubles for the Illini against CSU (0-3) with the junior duo of Ashley Yeah and Josie Frazier taking a 6-1 win on court two, before Casati and Treiber sealed the doubles point with a 6-3 win on court three.
Ferrari wasted little time in securing a singles point for the Illini with a 6-0, 6-0 win on court four, with Duong following her with a 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 1 singles. Yeah then clinched the 4-0 team win with a 6-2, 6-1 victory on court two.
Next Up
Illinois will next head to Tallahassee, Fla., for the ITA Kickoff Weekend, hosted by Florida State on Jan. 29-30. The Illini will play the host Seminoles on Jan. 29 at 11 a.m. CT, before taking on either Florida or Florida International on Jan. 30.
For more Fighting Illini women's tennis news, stay tuned to FightingIllini.com and follow @IlliniWTennis on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.
