Fighting Illini Close Regular Season with Visits to Penn State and Ohio State

Preview

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With just one weekend of regular-season play remaining, the Fighting Illini are headed east to visit Penn State on Friday and No. 15 Ohio State on Sunday. Friday's tilt against the Nittany Lions is slated for 2 p.m. CT, while Sunday's contest against the Buckeyes is set for 11 a.m.

Penn State enters the weekend with a 5-14 overall record, including a 4-5 mark in conference play. The Nittany Lions are 4-4 in home matches this season.

No. 15 Ohio State enters the weekend with a 15-6 overall record and an 8-1 reading in Big Ten action. The Buckeyes are 7-2 when playing at home this season and will open weekend action against Northwestern on Friday.

No. 35 Illinois is 15-7 on the season, including a 7-2 record in Big Ten play.

LAST TIME OUT

Last time out, Illinois swept its final weekend at home of the season. The Fighting Illini opened the homestand with an indoor 4-0 sweep of Indiana before earned a 4-1 outdoor Senior Day victory over No. 58 Purdue.

Illinois won the doubles point against Indiana but dropped it to the Boilermakers. Against the Hoosiers, Alice Xu, Kida Ferrari, and Kasia Treiber earned the singles wins, respectively. On Sunday vs. Purdue, Illinois saw Treiber, Ferrari, McKenna Schaefbauer, and Josie Frazier pick up victories on the singles courts, respectively.

ILLINI VS. THE FIELD

Illinois leads the all-time series against Penn State, 27-4. Illinois is 5-1 against Penn State under head coach Evan Clark.

Illinois holds the edge over Ohio State in the all-time series, 35-20. Under head coach Evan Clark, Illinois is 1-6 against the Buckeyes.

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 a 15-7 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 finished with an 11-1 record 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.
- The duo is currently ranked No. 73 in the ITA doubles rankings.
With Kate Duong healthy again, Heuser and Duong reconnected on the doubles court in Illinois' victory vs. Purdue, earning a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles
- Duong and Heuser returned to the ITA Doubles rankings on April 16, coming in at No. 72
- Duong and Heuser own a 5-5 record when working together this season, including a 1-0 mark in dual play.
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. She's gone on to pick up another victory since the clinch, improving her record to 11-4 overall, 7-0 in duals, and 6-0 in Big Ten play.
Head coach Evan Clark is in his ninth year as the head coach of Illinois women's tennis, holds an overall dual record of 129-82 (.611), and is 65-30 (.684) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini. Including his time as the head coach at UNC-Wilmington, Clark owns a 160-93 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
April 12 vs. Indiana - 2: Schaefbauer/Triber, 3: Duong/Xu

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)
April 12 vs. Indiana - Kasia Treiber (No. 4 singles)
April 14 vs. Purdue - Josie Frazier (No. 4 singles)