Fighting Illini Welcome Indiana, Purdue for Senior Weekend

Preview

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With just two weekends of regular-season play remaining, the Fighting Illini are set to host Senior Weekend as Indiana and No. 58 Purdue visit the Atkins Tennis Center on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Friday's tilt against the Hoosiers is slated for 3 p.m. CT, while Sunday's Senior Day contest against the Boilermakers is set for 12 p.m.

Indiana enters the weekend with a 6-16 overall record, including an 0-8 mark in conference play. The Hoosiers are 0-7 in road matches this season and have lost their last nine outings.

No. 58 Purdue enters the weekend with an 11-7 overall record and a 4-4 reading in Big Ten action. The Boilermakers are 4-2 when playing on the road this season and will open weekend action at Northwestern on Friday.

No. 35 Illinois is 13-7 on the season, including a 5-2 record in Big Ten play and a 9-1 mark in home matches.

LAST TIME OUT

Last weekend, Illinois played a split weekend that featured a home win over Minnesota and a road loss at No. 30 Wisconsin.

The Illini took down the Golden Gophers, 4-0, for the team's fifth sweep of the season. Illinois claimed the doubles point before McKenna Schaefbauer, Megan Heuser, and Kasia Treiber won their singles matches, respectively, to secure the victory.

At Wisconsin, Illinois won the doubles point and Kida Ferrari secured a victory at No. 5 singles before UI fell to the Badgers, 4-2.

ILLINI VS. THE FIELD

Illinois trails the all-time series against Indiana, 17-34. The last time the Illini and Hoosiers met was during the 2021 dual campaign, when Illinois earned a 7-0 decision. Illinois is 4-1 against Indiana under head coach Evan Clark.

Illinois holds the edge over Purdue in the all-time series, 38-31. Under head coach Evan Clark, Illinois is 9-0 against the Boilermakers.

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. 35 with an 13-7 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 9-1 start when playing at the Atkins Tennis Center this season.
Megan Heuser and Alice Xu are 9-4 as a partnership this season.
- 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.
Freshman Alice Xu registered the first clinch of her collegiate career against Northwestern on March 30, a result that moved her overall singles record to 10-4 in addition to her 6-0 mark in duals.
Head coach Evan Clark is in his ninth year as the head coach of Illinois women's tennis, holds an overall dual record of 127-82 (.608), and is 63-30 (.677) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini. Including his time as the head coach at UNC-Wilmington, Clark owns a 158-93 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
March 22 at Iowa - 2: Ferrari/Frazier, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
April 5 vs. Minnesota - 2: Ferrari/Frazier, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
April 7 at Wisconsin - 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)
March 24 at Nebraska - Josie Frazier (No. 3 singles)
March 30 vs. Northwestern - Alice Xu (No. 6 singles)
April 5 vs. Minnesota - Kasia Treiber (No. 4 singles)