CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women's tennis team continues Big Ten conference play as it concludes its four-match homestand this weekend by hosting Maryland on Friday (March 25) at 4 p.m. CT and welcoming in Rutgers on Sunday (March 27) at 11 a.m. CT. Both matches will be held at Atkins Tennis Center.
Promotions
Friday | Pack Atkins!
Free 'Back in the Fight' shirts to the first 100 fans in attendance.
Sunday | Breakfast of Champions
Free bagels & cream cheese, donuts and coffee for all fans in attendance.
Last Time Out
The Illinois women's tennis team opened the Big Ten Conference season with a 4-1 win over Minnesota last Friday, before suffering a 5-2 setback against Wisconsin on Sunday. Junior Ashley Yeah went 4-0 on the weekend, winning both of her doubles and singles matches, including a 6-0, 7-6 (1) win over Wisconsin's #111 Xinyu Cai on court two in singles.
Illini vs. the Field
The Illini hold an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series with the Terrapins and have won eight-straight, including four-straight wins at home. UI last faced Maryland during the 2019 season, with the Illini coming away with a 4-0 sweep on March 31 in College Park, Md.
Illinois also owns a 6-0 record against the Scarlett Knights and are 3-0 at home against RU. The Illini last faced Rutgers during the 2019 season, earning a 6-1 win in Atkins Tennis Center on March 29.
Illini Notes
- Illinois is 8-6 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten and owns a 7-1 record at home in Atkins Tennis Center in 2022, with its lone loss coming outside.
- Illinois own an all-time record of 256-225 (.532) in the Big Ten Conference.
- Entering the weekend, Illinois is ranked No. 57 in the most recent ITA Collegiate Tennis Division I Women's team rankings.
- Junior Ashley Yeah brought home Big Ten Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week honors on Tuesday (March 22) after posting a 4-0 record in her matches, including two wins with doubles partner and classmate Josie Frazier at No. 2 doubles and a pair of singles wins on court two. It was the first career Athlete of the Week for Yeah and the first for the Illini since Mia Rabinowitz took home the honor on Feb. 18, 2020.
- Yeah and Frazier lead the Illini with an 8-3 record at No. 2 doubles, with the No. 1 doubles team of sophomore Kate Duong and freshman Megan Heuser sitting at 7-5. Junior Emily Casati and freshman Kasia Treiber own a 4-4 record at No. 3 doubles, with Casati has also teamed up with freshman Kida Ferrari for one win on court three.
- Individually, Yeah leads the way with a 9-3 record on the season, with Duong owning a 7-4 mark at No. 1 singles. The freshmen trio of Heuser, Treiber and Ferrari each own five wins in the singles on the season, while senior Shivani Ingle is 4-0 at No. 6 singles.
- All eight players have registered at least one singles win in 2022.
- Head coach Evan Clark is in his sixth year as the head of Illinois women's tennis and owns an overall record of 89-64 (.582) and is 43-23 (.652) in the Big Ten Conference.
- The Illini are coming off a 9-9 Big Ten Conference-only season in 2021.
- The Illini return five players from last season, including senior Ingle, juniors Casati, Frazier and Yeah and sophomore Duong.
- Illinois welcomes in three freshmen in 2022 with the addition of Heuser, Ferrari and Treiber.
Next Up
Illinois next heads on the road for the first time in conference action, traveling to Iowa City, Iowa for a 3 p.m. CT match at Iowa on Friday (April 1), before taking on Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., on Sunday (April 3) at 11 a.m. CT.
For more Fighting Illini women's tennis news, stay tuned to FightingIllini.com and follow @IlliniWTennis on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.
