CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Heading into his ninth dual season at the helm of the Fighting Illini women's tennis program, head coach Evan Clark has announced the 2025 spring schedule. In addition to hosting the ITA National Indoor Championships, the Orange and Blue will host 12 matches from the Atkins Tennis Center. The slate features at least nine tilts against squads that appeared in the 2024 NCAA Team Tournament.
The spring slate opens in South Bend, Indiana, at Notre Dame on Jan. 18. From there, Northwestern makes the trip to Urbana for a tilt on Jan. 26, a nonconference matchup. To close January, Illinois will host Georgia Tech on Jan. 31, looking to avenge last year's season-ending NCAA Tournament loss to the Yellow Jackets.
Illinois welcomes Colorado to the Atkins Tennis Center on Feb. 2.
From Feb. 7-9, the Illini will co-host the ITA National Indoor Championships with Northwestern. As an event host (ANNOUNCEMENT), Illinois is guaranteed three matches in the event and does not have to qualify through ITA Kickoff Weekend. Besides Illinois and Northwestern, the remaining 14 teams competing will qualify by winning two matches at their respective ITA Kickoff Weekend sites.
The semifinals and finals matches of the ITA National Indoor Championships will be hosted in Evanston by the Wildcats. More information on the format can be found HERE.
On Friday, Feb. 14, Illinois welcomes Iowa State to town, followed by Baylor the following day (Feb. 15).
Following a two-week break, Illinois will host a doubleheader on March 1, as Western Michigan visits the Atkins Tennis Center. Illinois heads back out on the road with its first Big Ten trip on the slate for March 7 and 9, with matches at both Minnesota and Wisconsin, respectively.
Illinois will then play its next four matches at home as Iowa (March 14), Nebraska (March 16), Oregon (March 22), and Washington (March 24) head to Urbana.
From there, the Fighting Illini will spend three of the final four weekends of the regular season on the road. Illinois makes the Michigan swing next, visiting the Wolverines on March 29 followed by Michigan State on March 30.
April opens with Illinois at home to host Penn State (April 5) and Ohio State (April 6). Clark's squad makes the return trip to Northwestern on April 12, this time counting towards Big Ten play. The Orange and Blue will close the regular season the following weekend at Indiana (April 18) and at Purdue (April 20).
Big Ten Tournament action will take place in Ojai, California, from April 23-27. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is slated for April 27, with competition at regional host sites taking place from May 2-4.
According to the latest ITA Team rankings (2024 final), Illinois is slated for at least 13 matches against ranked squads. Those tilts include No. 5 Michigan, No. 15 Ohio State, No. 25 Georgia Tech, No. 29 Washington, No. 30 Wisconsin, No. 32 Notre Dame, No. 35 Baylor, two matches vs. No. 37 Northwestern, No. 63 Purdue, No. 67 Oregon, No. 70 Iowa, and No. 71 Colorado.
