Illini to Host Minnesota, Travel to Wisconsin in First Weekend of April

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Nearly halfway through their 2024 conference schedule, the Fighting Illini will take on a pair of programs in the top half of the Big Ten standings this weekend. Illinois will host Minnesota at Atkins Tennis Center on Friday before hitting the road for a match with Wisconsin on Sunday. The team's dual with the Golden Gophers is set for 3 p.m. CT, while the meeting with the Badgers is slated for 11 a.m. CT.

Minnesota enters the weekend with a 10-7 overall record, including a 3-2 mark in conference play. The Golden Gophers are 3-2 in road matches this season, though they have won two of their three away duals in Big Ten action thus far.

No. 30 Wisconsin is one of two remaining unbeaten teams in league play, holding a 5-0 record against conference opponents and sitting at 14-2 overall. The Badgers have yet to lose on their home courts this season, as Sunday's hosts are 8-0 in matches played in Madison, Wis., in 2024.

No. 32 Illinois is 12-6 on the season, including a 4-1 record in Big Ten play and an 8-1 mark in home matches. 

LAST TIME OUT

Illinois handed Northwestern its first Big Ten loss of the season on Saturday at Atkins Tennis Center. The Wildcats took the doubles point, but a dominant singles performance from the Orange and Blue secured a 5-1 win for the Illini, their fourth consecutive victory over Northwestern.

Kasia Treiber earned a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles to even the match at 1-1 before Kida Ferrari secured a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 decision at No. 5 to put the Illini in front. Josie Frazier pushed Illinois' lead to 3-1 with a three-set win at No. 3 singles.

Alice Xu earned a hard-fought win at No. 6 singles, and McKenna Schaefbauer won her tiebreaker just seconds later, bringing the match's final score to 5-1 in the Illini's favor.

ILLINI VS. THE FIELD

Illinois leads the all-time series with Minnesota, 35-18, while the Illini have won each of the last 12 meetings with Golden Gophers. Head coach Evan Clark is 7-0 against Minnesota during his time at Illinois.

Wisconsin has the edge in the all-time series between the programs, as the Illini are 24-27 against the Badgers. Illinois won last season's meeting, 4-3, though Wisconsin had taken the previous four meetings.

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. 32 with an 12-6 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 8-1 start when playing at the Atkins Tennis Center this season, while the Illini are 1-2 in their road match 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 her 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 126-81 (.609), and is 62-29 (.681) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini. Including his time as the head coach at UNC-Wilmington, Clark owns a 157-92 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

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)

RANKING NOTES

Team (1-75)

• 30 – Wisconsin (14-2)
• 32 – Illinois (12-6)

Doubles (1-60)

• None

Singles (1-125)

• No. 78 Maria Sholokhova (Wisconsin)

NEXT UP

Illinois will host its final two regular-season home matches of the campaign next weekend. The Illini will take on Indiana on April 12 at 3 p.m. before playing host to Purdue on April 14 at 12 p.m. for Senior Day.