University of Illinois
Notre Dame
Fighting Illini Open 2025 Dual Campaign at Notre Dame on Saturday
January 17, 2025 | Women's Tennis
Preview
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini women's tennis team is set to open the 2025 dual season at Notre Dame on Saturday, Jan. 18. Action from the Eck Tennis Pavilion is slated for 10 a.m. CT, and admission is free.
Notre Dame opens its dual season Friday evening as Ball State visits followed by a Saturday doubleheader against Illinois (10 a.m. CT) and Depaul (2 p.m. CT).
Saturday's meeting marks the 40th meeting all-time between Illinois and Notre Dame. The Fighting Illini are 9-30 all-time vs. the Fighting Irish and 1-3 under head coach Evan Clark. The last meeting between Illinois and Notre Dame took place on Feb. 5, 2023 – a 4-3 victory by the Fighting Irish.
RANKING NOTES
Team –
- Neither team ranked in the top 25
Doubles –
- No doubles teams ranked for either side
Singles –
- No. 67 – Akari Matsuno – Notre Dame
- No. 109 – McKenna Schaefbauer – Illinois
- No. 111 – Violeta Martinez - Illinois
ILLINI NOTES
- Head coach Evan Clark is in his 10th year as the head coach of Illinois women's tennis, holds an overall dual record of 131-85 (.606), and is 66-31 (.680) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini. Including his time as the head coach at UNC-Wilmington, Clark owns a 162-96 record overall.
- The Illini are coming off a 17-10 season with an 8-3 Big Ten record in 2023-24. The Illini's 17 wins were the third-most under Coach Clark and tied for the 10th-most in a season in program history. Three of those top-10 marks have come under Clark. UI earned its 15th appearance to the NCAA Team Tournament in program history.
- Illinois has made the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the second time under Clark and seventh time in program history. Last season's appearance marked the fourth with Clark at the helm.
- During the preseason, junior McKenna Schaefbauer was selected to the Big Ten Women's Tennis Players to Watch List. Schaefbauer is coming off of a successful sophomore campaign that featured a 17-10 overall singles record and 18-16 overall on the doubles courts. The transfer appeared at all six singles slots and all three doubles courts for the Illini in 2024.
NEXT UP
After opening the season on the road, Illinois will host Northwestern (Jan. 25), Georgia Tech (Jan. 31), and Colorado (Feb. 2) before switching gears to host the ITA National Indoor Championships from Feb. 7-9.
