URBANA, Ill. – Fighting Illini women's tennis earned its second sweep in as many Big Ten matches with Saturday's 4-0 win over No. 42 Penn State. Saturday's win drew a season-best crowd of 171 (outside of ITA Indoors) as the Illini were victorious in under two hours.
No. 51 Illinois improved to 10-10 on the season and 5-4 in Big Ten action. The Nittany Lions are now 13-6 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten play. Illinois improved to 8-7 in home matches this season with the victory.
The Illini claimed their 12th doubles point of the season, striking first against the Nittany Lions. Illinois has won the opening tally six times in 2025.
Doubles action wrapped first at No. 3, where McKenna Schaefbauer and Kasia Treiber cruised to a 6-1 win. The Illini tandem improved to 14-11 overall when working together and are up to a 7-1 record in Big Ten play following their fourth straight win.Â
Alice Xu and Violeta Martinez teamed up for a 6-1 win of their own at No. 2 doubles. The Illini duo is up to a 10-5 overall record when working together, including a 5-3 mark in Big Ten action.
Treiber made quick work of her Penn State opposition at No. 6 singles, earning a 6-0, 6-0 straight-set sweep. The Illini senior improved to 9-13 on the season with the victory, including a 3-3 mark in league play.
Megan Heuser followed with a 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 2 singles. The senior led wire-to-wire in the first set, thanks to an early break before picking up a break in the middle of set two to flip the frame.
In a race to the finish, Fighting Illini freshman Ariel Madatali clinched her third match of the season with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles. After losing the first game of set two, Madatali ran off six-straight games for the final margin. She owns a team-best 16 wins on the season, including a 4-1 mark in B1G play.
The Fighting Illini have swept back-to-back matches in Big Ten play for the first time this season.
FINAL SCORE: NO. 51 ILLINOIS (10-10, 5-4 B1G) 4, #42 PENN STATE (13-6, 4-5 B1G) 0
Doubles
No. 1 – Megan Heuser/Kida Ferrari vs. Cegarra/Grigoras (PSU) - 2-5, unfinished
No. 2 – Alice Xu/Violeta Martinez def. Dorner/Uchijima (PSU) - 6-1
No. 3 – McKenna Schaefbauer/Kasia Treiber def. Ciubotaru/Zink (PSU) - 6-1
Singles
No. 1 – McKenna Schaefbauer vs. Olivia Dorner (PSU) - 4-6, 2-4, unfinished
No. 2 – Megan Heuser def. Patricia Grigoras (PSU) - 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 – Violeta Martinez vs. Maiko Ochijima (PSU) - 6-3, 5-1, unfinished
No. 4 – Kida Ferrari vs. Jordina Cegarra (PSU) - 6-2, 2-6, 0-1, unfinishedÂ
No. 5 – Ariel Madatali def. Maria Daciana Ciubotaru (PSU) - 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 – Kasia Treiber def. Kate Zink (PSU) - 6-0, 6-0
Order of Finish
Doubles: 3, 2
Singles: 6, 2, 5
Duration: 1:53
Attendance: 171
Played indoors
NEXT UP
The Fighting Illini are set to host Senior Day on Sunday when the Orange and Blue host No. 11 Ohio State from the Atkins Tennis Center. Illinois' trio of seniors will be recognized with a prematch ceremony prior to the 12 p.m. CT contest. The first 100 fans will receive free Raising Canes and all fans can enter the raffle for a Playstation 5.
