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

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini are set to host the ITA Women's Indoor National Championship this weekend at Atkins Tennis Center. This is Illinois' second straight year co-hosting the prestigious event.

The No. 8-seeded Illini (2-2) are guaranteed to play three matches this weekend and will start the gauntlet facing top-seeded No. 3-ranked North Carolina on Friday, Feb. 6 at 3:30 p.m. CT. A win on Friday will put Illinois in the 3:30 p.m. match on Saturday vs. the winner of [5] No. 10 Ohio State and [4] No. 5 Duke. A loss moves Illinois into the consolation bracket with a 6:30 p.m. game on Saturday against the loser of Ohio State and Duke.

On Friday and Saturday, four matches will take place each day, with battles 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 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 3:30 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 from Feb. 9-10.

Participating Teams –

• [1] North Carolina
  • Team Ranking – No. 3
  • Singles Rankings:
    • No. 1 - Reese Brantmeier
    • No. 7 - Ange Oby Kajuru
    • No. 21 - Tatum Evans
    • No. 51 - Anna Frey
    • No. 71 - Alanis Hamilton
    • No. 90 - Theadora Rabman
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 5 - Ange Oby Kajuru/Susanna Maltby
    • No. 6 - Reese Brantmeier/Alanis Hamilton
    • No. 52 - Mary Grace/Alana Boyce
    • No. 61 - Tatum Evans/Theadora Rabman
• [2] Oklahoma
  • Team Ranking – No. 6
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 12 - Julia Garcia Ruiz
    • No. 123 - Chloe Noel
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 1 - Roisin Gilheany/Gloriana Nahum
    • No. 40 - Julia Garcia Ruiz/Oyinlomo Quadre
    • No. 56 - Chloe Noel/Gloriana Nahum
• [3] Texas A&M
  • Team Ranking – No. 2
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 41 - Lucciana Perez
    • No. 46 - Mia Kupres
    • No. 96 - Daria Smetannikov
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 79 - Daria Smetannikov/Mia Kupres
• [4] Duke
  • Team Ranking – No. 7
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 28 - Irina Balus
    • No. 120 - Liv Hovde
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 19 - Shavit Kimchi/Liv Hovde
    • No. 29 - Eleana Yu/Claire An
    • No. 30 - Liv Hovde/Irina Balus
• [5] Ohio State
  • Team Ranking – No. 10
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 3 - Luciana Perry
    • No. 13 - Teah Chavez
    • No. 52 - Nao Nishino
    • No. 114 - Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 13 - Hephzibah Oluwadare/Teah Chavez
    • No. 36 - Luciana Perry/Teah Chavez
    • No. 55 - Flora Johnson/Luciana Perry
    • No. 60 - Audrey Spencer/Nao Nishino
    • No. 89 - Flora Johnson/Nao Nishino
• [6] Vanderbilt
  • Team Ranking – No. 12
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 15 - Valeria Ray
    • No. 24 - Celia-Belle Mohr
    • No. 40 - Bridget Stammel
    • No. 56 - Mia Yamakita
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 3 - Sophia Webster/Celia-Belle Mohr
    • No. 14 - Valeria Ray/Bridget Stammel
    • No. 49 - Mia Yamakita/Erin Pearce 
• [7] Texas
  • Team Ranking – No. 18
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 2 - Carmen Andreea Herea
    • No. 63 - Anastasia Abbagnato
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 34 - Anastasia Abbagnato/Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo 
• [8] Illinois
  • Team Ranking – N/A
  • Singles Rankings
    • No. 67 - McKenna Schaefbauer
  • Doubles Rankings
    • No. 59 - Alice Xu/Tess Bucher

1. Jan. 24 vs. Miami (OH) - #2 Schaefbauer/Cooper and #3 Mester/Madatali
2. Feb. 2 vs. DePaul - #2 Schaefbauer/Cooper and #3 Mester/Madatali

1. Jan. 24 vs. Miami (OH) - #1 McKenna Schaefbauer - 6-3, 6-4
2. Feb. 2 vs. DePaul - #3 Ariel Madatali - 6-1, 3-6, 6-2

ILLINI NOTES

• For the first time of her career, Fighting Illini senior McKenna Schaefbauer was named the Big Ten Women's Tennis Player of the Week, the league office announced follow Illinois' opening weekend of play. The Normal, Illinois, native produced a 2-0 opening weekend that saw her earn the highest-ranked win of her career with a victory over the No. 40-ranked player in the country.
• During the preseason, Fighting Illini sophomore Ariel Madatali was named to the 2026 Big Ten Women's Tennis Players to Watch List. The St. Louis native is headed into her second dual season with the Orange and Blue. Madatali is one of 18 athletes named to the Players to Watch List.
• Illinois' 2026 slate features at least 11 matches against squads that appeared in the 2025 NCAA Team Tournament.
• The Fighting Illini faced two ranked opponents during opening weekend and are slated to face at least six teams from the Jan. 7 team top-25 rankings.
• From Feb. 6-10, the Illini will co-host the ITA National Indoor Team Championships with Northwestern. As an event host, Illinois is guaranteed three matches in the event and does not have to qualify through ITA Kickoff Weekend. Besides Illinois and Northwestern, the remaining 14 teams competing qualified by winning two matches at their respective ITA Kickoff Weekend sites.
• Illinois added a pair of SEC transfers heading into this season. Tess Bucher (Kentucky) and Cara Mester (Oklahoma) both enter their sophomore seasons at Illinois.
• The Fighting Illini freshman class ranked No. 14 nationally by Tennis Recruiting Network. Risa Ueno (No. 14), Lizzie Isyanov (No. 37), and Kimiko Cooper (No. 18) make up the class.
• In the 2026 Tennis Recruiting Network class rankings, Illinois ranked No. 20 overall and third in the Big Ten. Evan Clark has now had back-to-back ranked classes for the first time in his career and Evan Clark has now brought in five top-25 recruiting classes overall.
• Head coach Evan Clark is in his 11th year as the head coach of Illinois women's tennis, holds an overall dual record of 149-102 (.590), and is 74-36 (.673) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini. Including his time as the head coach at UNC-Wilmington, Clark owns a 180-113 record overall.
• Illinois has made the NCAA Tournament in three-straight seasons for the first time under Clark and third time in program history. The 2024-25 season's appearance marked the fifth with Clark at the helm.
• Across program history, Illinois has appeared in the NCAA Tournament 16 times and own a 5-16 all-time record.
• Illinois owns an 82-32 record when playing at home under Evan Clark (begins 2016 dual season).