CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Following a four-match Big Ten homestand, the Illinois women's tennis team is hitting the road for matches at No. 3 Michigan and No. 73 Michigan State this weekend. Action against the Wolverines is slated for Saturday at 11 a.m. CT followed by a 9 a.m. CT tilt vs. the Spartans on Sunday.
Saturday at No. 3 Michigan - 11 a.m. CT | Watch | Live Scoring
Sunday at No. 73 Michigan State - 9 a.m. CT | Watch | Live Scoring
No. 48 Illinois enters the weekend sitting at 8-9 on the season and 3-3 in Big Ten action. Saturday's match at Michigan will mark the Illini's seventh tilt vs. top-25 ranked opponents this season.
Illinois owns an 11-41 all-time record against Michigan entering the 53rd all-time meeting vs. the Wolverines. Against Michigan State, the Illini are 38-13 in the all-time series entering the 52nd all-time meeting.
The last time Illinois faced Michigan and Michigan State was the 2023 dual season from the Atkins Tennis Center. Illinois earned a 4-0 sweep over MSU and fell 4-2 to UM. The 2022 campaign is the last time Evan Clark and company made the Big Ten regular season road trip to Michigan.
Illinois is coming off a split weekend against Oregon and No. 20 Washington. The Illini downed Oregon 4-1 after the Ducks earned the doubles point. Two days later, the Orange and Blue claimed the doubles point over No. 20-ranked UW before falling 4-1.
Ranking Notes
Team –
- No. 3 - Michigan
- No. 48 - Illinois
- No. 73 - Michigan State
Doubles –
- No 34 Charney/Bernales (Michigan)
- No. 47 Bernales/Jones (Michigan)
- No. 70 Miller/Fliegner (Michigan)
Singles –
- No. 3 Julia Fliegner (Michigan)
- No. 22 Piper Charney (Michigan)
- No. 34 Lily Jones (Michigan)
- No. 86 Emily Sartz-Lunde (Michigan)
- No. 123 Reese Miller (Michigan)
DOUBLES POINTS
Jan. 18 at Notre Dame – 2: Schaefbauer/Treiber, 3: Xu/Madatali
Jan. 25 vs. Northwestern – 1: Heuser/Ferrari, 3: Martinez/Xu
Feb. 2 vs. Colorado – 1: Heuser/Ferrari, 2: Schaefbauer/Treiber
Feb. 14 vs. Iowa State – 2: Martinez/Xu, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
March 1 vs. Western Michigan – 1: Heuser/Ferrari, 2: Martinez/Xu
March 1 vs. Chicago State – 2: Schaefbauer/Treiber, 3: Madatali/Seccia
March 7 at Minnesota – 1: Heuser/Ferrari, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
March 14 vs. Iowa – 2: Martinez/Xu, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
March 16 vs. Nebraska – 1: Ferrari/Heuser, 2: Martinez/Xu
March 24 vs. Washington - 2: Martinez/Xu, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
CLINCHES
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)
Feb. 14 vs. Iowa State – No. 1 singles, McKenna Schaefbauer (6-2, 6-2)
March 2 vs. Western Michigan – No. 3 singles, Violeta Martinez (7-5, 6-7(2), 1-0 (10-3)
March 2 vs. Chicago State – No. 4 singles, Ariel Madatali (6-0, 6-0)
March 7 at Minnesota – No. 2 singles, Megan Heuser (6-4, 6-1)
March 16 vs. Nebraska – No. 2 singles, Megan Heuser (6-4, 6-4)
March 22 vs. Oregon - No. 5 singles, Kida Ferrari (6-3, 7-5)
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 140-96 (.593), and is 69-34 (.670) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini. Including his time as the head coach at UNC-Wilmington, Clark owns a 171-107 record overall.
- Evan Clark is now the program's all-time winningest head coach at 140 victories in the midst of his 10th season at the helm. He passed Jennifer Roberts, who coached at Illinois for 11 seasons from 1988-98 (138 wins).
- Clark also owns 69 wins in Big Ten play, surpassing Roberts' Illinois record at 68.
- Illinois owns a 79-31 record when playing at home under Evan Clark (begins 2016 dual season).
- While hosting the 2025 ITA Team Indoor Championships, Illinois faced the nation's best, competing against No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3 Oklahoma State, and No. 6 UCLA. The following weekend, Illinois welcomed No. 22 Baylor to the Atkins Tennis Center, visited No. 17 Wisconsin, and most recently hosted No. 20 Washington for its sixth Top-25 match of the 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.
- Fighting Illini freshman Ariel Madatali leads the team with 14 wins on the singles courts following her wins at Minnesota and Wisconsin to open Big Ten play.
- Violeta Martinez earned ranked wins on both the doubles and singles courts in Illinois' loss to No. 6 UCLA. On the doubles courts, Martinez and Alice Xu teamed up to take down UCLA's No. 30 ranked duo. Martinez would get the Fighting Illini on the board with a straight-set upset (6-4, 6-4) of UCLA's No. 53 Elisa Wagle.
- McKenna Schaefbauer earned her first clinch of the season in Illinois' 4-0 sweep of Iowa State, taking down No. 70 Anna Kuearum, 6-2, 6-2.
- 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 owns a team-best three clinches this season.
- 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.
