CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After dropping the doubles point, the Illinois women's tennis team clawed back for a 4-1 win over No. 30 Arizona in the NCAA Tournament First Round at the Virginia Tennis Facility. The Fighting Illini earned a spot in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history, second time under head coach Evan Clark, and first time since 2018.
No. 38 Illinois improved to 15-12 on the season with the first round victory. No. 30-ranked Arizona closed its season with a 19-11 overall record. Illinois improved to 2-6 all-time against Arizona including a 2-1 record during head coach Evan Clark's tenure.
The 2025 bid marks the 16th appearance for the Fighting Illini in the NCAA Championships. The Illini have a 5-15 record in NCAA Tournament play. Illinois has now reached the Round of 32 five times in program history (2001, 2003, 2009, 2018, 2025).
Arizona got on the board first with wins at doubles No. 2 and 3, respectively. Action at No. 1 doubles would go unfinished.
The Illini and Wildcats split the first sets of singles play evenly before the Orange and Blue secured four of the second sets. Illinois was victorious in all three completed third sets of singles play.
Violeta Martinez got the Illini on the board when she was the first off the singles courts following a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 3. In the first set, she was knotted at 4-4 before claiming the final two games. Set two saw the junior tied at 2-2 before running off the final four games. The victory moved Martinez to a 12-8 overall record on the season.
McKenna Schaefbauer was the next to finish with a three-set upset of No. 80-ranked Josie Usereau on the top singles court. Schaefbauer and her counterpart split 6-2 decisions in the first two frames. Set three saw the Illini junior hold a 4-2 lead before the Wildcat foe clawed back for a 5-4 advantage. From there, Schaefbauer claimed three straight games to secure the 7-5 win and put Illinois up 2-1 in the match. The Normal, Ill., native improved to 16-15 on the season with her fourth straight win and improved to 6-6 against nationally-ranked opposition.
Megan Heuser followed suit with a ranked upset of her own at No. 2 singles to give Illinois a 3-1 lead. The Illini senior fell 6-3 in her first set before allowing No. 102 Midori Castillo just three games in the final two frames. Heuser finished with a line of 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 as she improved to 15-12 overall following her first ranked singles win of the season.
Kida Ferrari clinched the NCAA Tournament First Round victory for the Illini, marking her second clinch of the season. The senior won with a line of 7-5, 2-6, 6-1. She trailed 4-5 in the first set before battling back with three straight games. In set three, Ferrari dropped the first game but ran off the next six unanswered to secure the 4-1 Illinois victory.Â
FINAL SCORE: NO. 38 ILLINOIS (15-12) 4, NO. 30 ARIZONA (19-11) 1
Doubles
No. 1 – No. 83 Megan Heuser/Kida Ferrari vs. Nevenhoven/Usereau (UA) - 2-5, unfinished
No. 2 – Ostrzygalo/Castillo (UA) def. Alice Xu/Violeta Martinez - 6-0
No. 3 – Chulak/Tuhten (UA) def. McKenna Schaefbauer/Kasia Treiber - 6-2
Singles
No. 1 – McKenna Schaefbauer def. No. 80 Josie Usereau (UA) - 6-2, 2-6, 7-5Â
No. 2 – Megan Heuser def. No. 102 Midori Castillo (UA) - 3-6, 6-2, 6-1Â
No. 3 – Violeta Martinez def. Martyna Ostrzygalo (UA) - 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 – Kida Ferrari def. Danielle Tuhten (UA) - 7-5, 2-6, 6-1
No. 5 – Ariel Madatali vs. Tanvi Narendran (UA) - 6-7(5), 6-4, 0-0, unfinished
No. 6 – Kasia Treiber vs. Zoya Chulak (UA) - 6-7(4), 6-4, 4-1, unfinished
Order of Finish
Doubles: 2, 3
Singles: 3, 1, 2, 4
Duration: 2:54
Played outdoors
NEXT UP
With the First Round win, Illinois advances to face the winner of No. 7 Virginia and FDU. Action for the NCAA Tournament Second Round match is slated for 3 p.m. CT on Saturday.
