Fighting Illini Host ITA National Team Indoor Championships at Atkins Tennis Center

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Atkins Tennis Center is the place to be this weekend as the nation's best squads compete in the ITA Women's Indoor National Championship. Illinois is guaranteed to play three matches in the event.

In their first contest of the event, the No. 8-seeded Fighting Illini will face the reigning outdoor national champion, No. 1-seeded and No. 2-ranked Texas A&M, on Friday, Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m. CT.

On Friday and Saturday, four matches will take place each day, with tilts scheduled for 9 a.m., 12 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. On Sunday, three consolation matches will take place, which are slated for 12 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. CT.

Teams that win their matches on both Friday and Saturday will get a bye on Sunday to travel up to Northwestern, where the semifinals and championship matches of the event will take place.

Participating Teams –

• [1] Texas A&M
  • Team Ranking – No. 2
  • Singles Rankings:
    • No. 3 – Mary Stoiana
    • No. 12 – Nicole Khirin
    • No. 41 – Lucciana Perez
    • No. 101 – Mia Kupres
    • No. 125 – Daria Smetannikov
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 42 – Mary Stoiana/Mia Kupres
• [2] Michigan
  • Team Ranking – No. 7
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 4 – Julia Fliegner
    • No. 30 – Piper Charney
    • No. 36 – Lily Jones
    • No. 66 – Reese Miller
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 21 – Jessica Bernales/Lily Jones
    • No. 27 – Piper Charney/Jessica Bernales
    • No. 45 – Reese Miller/Julia Fliegner
    • No. 60 – Piper Charney/Emily Sartz-Lunde
• [3] UCLA
  • Team Ranking – No. 6
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 17 – Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer
    • No. 53 – Elise Wagle
    • No. 56 – Kate Fakih
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 3 – Olivia Center/Kate Fakih
    • No. 9 – Kimmi Hance/Elise Wagle
    • No. 30 – Ahmani Guichard/Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer
• [4] Oklahoma State
  • Team Ranking – No. 3
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 15 – Ange Oby Kajuru
    • No. 40 – Gracie Epps
    • No. 65 – Anastasiya Komar
    • No. 69 – Marcela Lopez
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 39 – Ange Oby Kajuru/Anastasiya Komar
    • No. 41 – Gracie Epps/Marcela Lopez
    • No. 86 – Rose Marie Nijkamp/Anastasiya Komar
• [5] Texas
  • Team Ranking – No. 11
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 25 – Carmen Andreeda Herea
    • No. 39 – Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo
    • No. 71 – Sabina Zeynalova
    • No. 78 – Vivian Ovrootsky
    • No. 92 – Eszter Meri
    • No. 105 – Ashton Bowers
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 33 – Ashton Bowers/Sabina Zeynalova
• [6] Oklahoma
  • Team Ranking – No. 12
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 13 – Julia Garcia Ruiz
    • No. 43 – Alina Shcherbinina
    • No. 91 – Ava Catanzarite
    • No. 103 – Salakthip Ounmuang
    • No. 114 – Gloriana Nahum
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 47 – Cara Mester/Alina Shcherbinina
    • No. 58 – Chloe Noel/Julia Garcia Ruiz 
• [7] LSU
  • Team Ranking – No. 16
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 115 – Anita Sahdiieva
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 71 – Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross 
• [8] Illinois
  • Team Ranking – N/A
  • Singles Rankings
    • N/A
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 61 – Megan Heuser/Kida Ferrari
    • No. 89 – Megan Heuser/Alice Xu

Jan. 18 at Notre Dame – 2: Schaefbauer/Treiber, 3: Xu/Madatali
Jan. 25 vs. Northwestern – 1: Ferrari/Heuser, 3: Martinez/Xu
Feb. 2 vs. Colorado – 1: Heuser/Ferrari, 2: Schaefbauer/Treiber

Jan. 25 vs. Northwestern – No. 4 singles, Ariel Madatali (2-6, 6-2, 6-2)
Feb. 2 vs. Colorado – No. 2 singles, Megan Heuser (6-7(7), 6-1, 6-3)

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 133-87 (.605), and is 67-31 (.684) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini. Including his time as the head coach at UNC-Wilmington, Clark owns a 164-98 record overall.
• Illinois owns a 74-25 record when playing at home under Evan Clark (begins 2016 dual season).
• After the Jan. 25, 2025, out-of-conference victory over Northwestern, Illinois has now won five consecutive matches over the Wildcats. The squads will meet again for a Big Ten match on April 12 in Evanston.
• Ariel Madatali's first-career clinch was also the first dual win of her career, which came in Illinois' 4-2 win over Northwestern.
• Megan Heuser registered her first clinch of the season against Colorado on Feb. 2 with her three-set win at No. 2 singles.
• 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.
• 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.