Illinois Heads East to Visit Rutgers and Maryland

Preview

Women's Tennis April 6, 2023

Illinois Heads East to Visit Rutgers and Maryland

Preview

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - No. 34 ranked Illinois women's tennis (13-6) will venture this weekend as the squad opens another four-match road swing. First up is Rutgers (9-6) on Friday at 11 a.m. CT, from Piscataway High School in East Piscataway, New Jersey. Then on Sunday, Illinois will face No. 56 Maryland (14-4) at 10 a.m. in College Park, Maryland.

Sunday's contest at Maryland marks the eighth match against a ranked team this season, with the Illini sitting at 3-4 in those outings.

The Illini already have six individuals with 11 or more wins in singles play this season, including Ashley Yeah (14-9), Kasia Treiber (13-11), Kida Ferrari (11-7), Kate Duong (11-9), Josie Frazier (11-9) and Megan Heuser (12-8).

On the doubles courts, Heuser and Duong have won 12-consecutive matches. The duo is up to a 21-3 overall record on the season, which includes a 13-1 mark in dual play.

Last Time Out

Last weekend, Illinois split its results against Michigan State and Michigan. UI grabbed a dominant 4-0 win against Michigan State before falling just short to No. 5 Michigan, 4-2.

Duong and Heuser took down the No. 2 ranked doubles unit on Sunday, a 6-4 win over Michigan's top duo. With that victory, the Illini tandem climbed all the way to No. 15 in the ITA doubles rankings - becoming the third-highest ranked Illinois duo in program history.

Yeah also picked up an upset at No. 2 singles. The senior took down No. 30 ranked Jaedan Brown from Michigan. That win helped Yeah climb to No. 73 in the latest ITA singles rankings.

Illini vs. The Field

Illinois has not lost to Rutgers in program history, holding a 7-0 record over the Scarlet Knights.

Illinois holds an impressive all-time record against Maryland at 9-1. The last time the Terrapins beat the Illini was in 1997. Illinois is currently on a nine-match win streak over the Terps.

Illini Notes

Head coach Evan Clark is in his eighth year as the head coach of Illinois women's tennis and holds an overall dual record of 110-73 (.601) and is 54-26 (.679) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini.

The Illini are coming off a 16-9 season with an 8-3 Big Ten record in 2021-22.

Illinois returns seven of its eight players from last season, including seniors Emily Casati, Josie Frazier, and Ashley Yeah; junior Kate Duong; and sophomores Kida Ferrari, Megan Heuser, and Kasia Treiber. The Illini also welcomed freshman Violeta Martinez to the squad.