University of Illinois
Tulsa
Blue Gray Tennis Classic Up Next for Illini
February 22, 2024 | Women's Tennis
Preview
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Coming off a 3-0 homestand, the 24th-ranked Illinois women's tennis team is headed for the 76th annual Blue Gray Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala. The Fighting Illini will play three matches across the two-day span of Feb. 23-24.
Illinois' opening contest is against Tulsa on Friday at 9 a.m. Then based on results, the Illini will finish Friday with doubles against their second opponent - either Arizona or Alabama. On Saturday, Illinois will finish its second match, playing singles against Arizona or Alabama. Then to finish out the tournament, Illinois will play its third contest Saturday afternoon.
The Orange and Blue carry a four-match winning streak into the Blue Gray Tennis Classic.
LAST TIME OUT
Through five weekends of action, Illinois sits at 7-2 on the season with wins over Brown (4-1) and Marshall (4-0) last weekend. The Illini went 8-0 in completed singles matches across the weekend. Illinois dropped the doubles point to Brown before claiming the opening point against Marshall.
ILLINI VS. THE FIELD
Friday's meeting against Tulsa will be the first in program history. Illinois is 1-6 all-time against No. 43 Arizona and 2-7 all-time against No. 36 Alabama. The Illini picked up a win over both the Wildcats and Crimson Tide at last year's Blue Gray Tennis Classic.
The remaining teams that Illinois could cross paths with and the Illini's all-time record against them are as follows: No. 22 Texas Tech (0-4), Furman (3-0), No. 26 Yale (3-0), and No. 59 Wake Forest (2-2).
Illinois sits at 1-2 against top-25 ranked opponents, falling to No. 15 Duke and No. 19 Cal earlier this season and taking down No. 23 UCF.
ILLINI NOTES
- Illini junior Kida Ferrari hails from Fairhope, Alabama, and grew up competing on the same courts that the Orange and Blue will play at in the Blue Gray Tennis Classic.
- After receiving votes in the final two top-25 polls, Illinois moved up to No. 24 in the first computerized rankings of the season. The ranking is the best by the Illini since the 2019 campaign.
- Illinois is 2-1 in neutral site matches this season, owning wins over Charlotte (4-0) and No. 23 UCF (4-3) from Durham, N.C. and Norman, Okla., respectively.
- On Feb. 21, Kasia Treiber was tabbed the Big Ten Women's Tennis Player of the Week - the first honor of her career. Treiber posted a 2-0 weekend at No. 3 singles in the Fighting Illini's wins over Brown and Marshall at Atkins Tennis Center. Both were straight-set victories.
- Illinois is off to a 5-0 start when playing at the Atkins Tennis Center this season.
- Head coach Evan Clark is in his ninth year as the head coach of Illinois women's tennis and holds an overall dual record of 122-79 (.607) and is 58-28 (.674) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini. Including his time as the head coach at UNC-Wilmington, Clark owns a 153-90 record overall.
- The Illini are coming off an 18-10 season with an 8-3 Big Ten record in 2022-23. The Illini's 18 wins tied the sixth-most in a single season in program history. UI earned the 14th appearance to the NCAA Team Tournament in program history. The last time Illinois made the NCAA Tournament as a team was the 2019 campaign. The 2023 appearance marked the third with Clark at the helm.
- Illinois returns six of its eight players from last season, including fifth-year senior Josie Frazier and senior Kate Duong. Additionally, Megan Heuser, Kasia Treiber, and Kida Ferrari return for their junior campaigns and Violeta Martinez begins her sophomore dual season. The Illini welcomed South Carolina-transfer, but Illinois native, McKenna Schaefbauer along with freshmen Rosie Seccia and Alice Xu.
DOUBLES POINTS
Jan. 14 vs. EIU - 2: Ferrari/Martinez, 3: Treiber/Xu
Jan. 20 vs. No. 15 Duke - 2: Duong/Frazier, 3: Ferrari/Martinez
Feb. 11 vs. Ole Miss - 2: Heuser/Xu, 3: Martinez/Treiber
Feb. 18 vs. Marshall - 1: Heuser/Xu, 2: Schaefbauer/Martinez
CLINCHES
Jan. 14 vs. Missouri - Violeta Martinez (No. 4 singles)
Jan. 14 vs. EIU - Violeta Martinez (No. 2 singles)
Jan. 19 vs. Charlotte - Megan Heuser (No. 1 singles)
Jan. 28 vs. No. 23 UCF - Kasia Treiber (No. 3 singles)
Feb. 11 vs. Ole Miss - Kasia Treiber (No. 3 singles)
Feb. 17 vs. Brown - Josie Frazier (No. 5 singles)
Feb. 18 vs. Marshall - Kasia Treiber (No. 3 singles)
RANKING NOTES
Team (1-75)
- 22 –Texas Tech (5-3)
- 24 – Illinois (7-2)
- 26 – Yale (8-1)
- 36 – Alabama (6-1)
- 43 – Arizona (7-4)
- 59 - Wake Forest (4-4)
- NR – Tulsa (5-5)
- NR – Furman (2-5)
Doubles (1-60)
- No. 7 Metka Komac/Avelina Sayfetdinova (Texas Tech)
- No. 37 Loudmilla Bencheikh/Anne Marie Hiser (Alabama)
- No. 55 Orly Oglivy/AnnWright Guerry (Yale)
Singles (1-125)
- No. 26 Casie Wooten (Wake Forest)
- No. 31 Loudmilla Bencheikh (Alabama)
- No. 59 Cristina Tiglea (Texas Tech)
- No. 79 Petra Sedlackova (Alabama)
NEXT UP
Following three matches from Alabama, Illinois returns home to host future conference foe Washington on March 1. Action from Atkins Tennis Center will take place at 2 p.m. CT with a men's tennis match to follow at 6 p.m.
