CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois will play its first conference road matches of the season as the Fighting Illini prepare to face off against Iowa and Nebraska away from home. Illinois will take on the Hawkeyes at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex on Friday at 5 p.m. before squaring off with Nebraska at the Dillon Tennis Center in Lincoln on Sunday at 11 a.m.
The Hawkeyes also began their 2024 conference schedule with two wins, which came on the road against Indiana and Nebraska. After starting the season 1-5, Iowa has righted the ship with wins in six of its last seven matches and holds a 7-6 record. Friday's hosts are 3-1 in home matches this season, with the lone loss coming against Oregon on Feb. 23.
Starting the 2024 campaign with a 9-1 record, Nebraska has dropped three straight and now sits at 9-4 on the season. The Cornhuskers began their Big Ten slate with two losses, which included defeats against Maryland and Iowa. Sunday's home team is 8-4 in matches played in Lincoln this season, and the Cornhuskers are coming off a 4-1 loss to Baylor.
LAST TIME OUT
In their first weekend of Big Ten play, the Illini secured wins over Maryland (4-1) and Rutgers (4-2) at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana. Illinois won the doubles point in both matches before Megan Heuser clinched the match against the Terrapins and Kasia Treiber secured the victory over the Scarlet Knights.
Treiber and her doubles partner, McKenna Schaefbauer, went 2-0 as a duo last weekend, while Alice Xu took care of business and went 2-0 while playing at No. 6 in both contests.
ILLINI VS. THE FIELD
Illinois is 34-27 all-time against Iowa, with the Illini taking the most recent match between the programs in the Big Ten Tournament last season. The Illini secured a victory in their last trip to Iowa City, though, which came in 2022.
The Illini are an even 7-7 against the Cornhuskers, while each of the last two meetings between the sides went the distance. Nebraska took the 4-3 win in Urbana last season, though Illinois emerged victorious in 2022's contest in Lincoln.
ILLINI NOTES
- 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 was the best by the Illini since the 2019 campaign.
- The Illini now sit at No. 34 with a 10-5 record.
- 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 7-1 start when playing at the Atkins Tennis Center this season, while the Illini are 0-1 in their lone road match this season, a 4-2 loss to then-No. 15 Duke.
- Megan Heuser and Alice Xu are 9-1 as a partnership this season, which has them at No. 47 in the ITA doubles rankings.
- After an 8-1 start when working together in doubles play, Heuser and Xu made their first appearance in the ITA rankings at No. 35 on March 5.
- Head coach Evan Clark is in his ninth year as the head coach of Illinois women's tennis, holds an overall dual record of 124-80 (.608), and is 60-28 (.682) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini. Including his time as the head coach at UNC-Wilmington, Clark owns a 155-91 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 its 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
Feb. 23 vs. Tulsa - 1: Heuser/Xu, 2: Schaefbauer/Martinez
Feb. 23 vs. Wake Forest - 1: Heuser/Xu, 3: Frazier/Ferrari
March 1 vs. Washington - 1: Heuser/Xu, 2: Schaefbauer/Martinez
March 15 vs. Maryland - 1: Heuser/ Xu, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
March 17 vs. Rutgers - 2: Ferrari/Frazier, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
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)
Feb. 23 vs. Tulsa - Josie Frazier (No. 5 singles)
March 15 vs. Maryland - Megan Heuser (No. 1 singles)
March 17 vs. Rutgers - Kasia Treiber (No. 4 singles)
RANKING NOTES
Team (1-75)
- 34 – Illinois (10-5)
- 75 - Iowa (7-6)
Doubles (1-60)
- No. 35 Megan Heuser/Alice Xu (Illinois)
- No. 61 Raphaelle Lacasse/Isabel Adrover Gallego (Nebraska)
- No. 75 Ana Carmen Zamburek/Anfisa Danilchenko (Nebraska)
Singles (1-125)
- No. 122 Daianne Hayashida (Iowa)
Next Up
Next weekend, Illinois will return to Atkins Tennis Center for matches against Northwestern (March 30) and Minnesota (April 5).
