Heuser Earns Singles Upset, Illini Fall in NCAA Second Round

Recap

Box Score

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Fighting Illini senior Megan Heuser earned her second ranked singles win in as many days, getting Illinois on the board in Saturday's 4-1 NCAA Tournament Second Round loss to [7] No. 7 Virginia. Action began outdoors but concluded indoors from the Virginia Tennis Facility.

No. 38 Illinois closed the season with a 15-13 overall record with the second round loss. The Fighting Illini finished the campaign with 10 matches against top-25 ranked opposition. No. 7-ranked Virginia improved to a 22-5 overall record.

The 2025 bid marked the 16th appearance for the Fighting Illini in the NCAA Championships, and third straight season. The Orange and Blue now own a 5-16 record in NCAA Tournament play. Saturday's appearance marked Illinois' fifth Second Round appearance in program history (2001, 2003, 2009, 2018, 2025).

The weekend-host Cavaliers won the opening point of the match, claiming decisions at No. 2 and 3 doubles. Action between the pair of ranked duos at No. 1 would go unfinished.

In the midst of the first sets of singles action, the match was moved indoors.

Virginia pushed its lead to a 3-0 advantage before Illinois got on the board by way of Megan Heuser's upset at No. 2 singles. The Illini senior earned a 6-3, 6-2 win over her No. 23-ranked counterpart from Virginia for her second ranked singles victory in as many days. Heuser trailed 0-2 in the first frame before running off five straight games. Set two saw her jump out to a 4-0 lead before her opponent took a game. Heuser improved to a 16-12 overall singles record on the campaign, including a 13-8 mark in dual outings with Saturday's victory.

Virginia closed out the match with a win at No. 6 singles for the final 4-1 margin.

FINAL SCORE: NO. 38 ILLINOIS (15-13) 1, [7] NO. 7 VIRGINIA (22-5) 4

Doubles
No. 1 – No. 83 Megan Heuser/Kida Ferrari vs. No. 3 Chervinsky/Collard (UVA) - 3-4, unfinished
No. 2 – No. 41 Genis Salas/Xu (UVA) def. Alice Xu/Violeta Martinez - 6-3
No. 3 – Ziodato/Navarro (UVA) def. McKenna Schaefbauer/Kasia Treiber - 6-2

Singles
No. 1 – McKenna Schaefbauer vs. No. 27 Sara Ziodato (UVA) - 5-7, 4-4, unfinished
No. 2 – Megan Heuser def. No. 23 Elaine Chervinsky (UVA) - 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 – Violeta Martinez vs. No. 34 Annabelle Xu (UVA) - 6-3, 3-4, unfinished
No. 4 – Martina Genis Salas (UVA) def. Kida Ferrari - 6-3, 6-2
No. 5 – Karolina Kozakova (UVA) def. Ariel Madatali - 6-0, 6-3
No. 6 – Blanca Pico Navarro (UVA) def. Kasia Treiber vs. - 6-4, 6-3