CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini women’s tennis junior Megan Heuser was named to the Big Ten All-Conference Team, the league announced Wednesday. Additionally, freshman Alice Xu was recognized as a Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Playing at both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles, Heuser posted a 9-12 overall singles record, including a 7-8 reading in duals. The junior posted a 1-4 record against nationally ranked opposition. Heuser’s ranked win came over No. 98 Lucia Quiterio of Charlotte on Jan. 19. On the doubles courts, Heuser owns an overall 15-14 record, which includes a 9-8 mark in duals. Heuser has teamed up with five different teammates and owns a 1-3 record against ranked opposition.
Heuser’s pairings with both Xu and Kate Duong have appeared in the ITA doubles rankings this season.
Xu has posted an impressive rookie campaign while becoming a staple in the Orange and Blue’s singles and doubles lineups. The Vienna, Va., native owns a 12-4 record in singles, including an 8-0 mark in duals and a 7-0 reading in Big Ten matches. Xu enters the postseason on an eight-match winning streak. In doubles play, Xu owns a team-high 18 wins against just six losses. She has helped Illinois to a 5-4 record at No. 1 doubles, 2-0 mark at No. 2 doubles, and 4-1 reading at No. 3 doubles.
The Illini duo helped Evan Clark‘s squad to a 16-8 overall record while tying for fourth place in the Big Ten standings with an 8-3 mark. Illinois has finished in the top four of the Big Ten standings in all seven traditional (non-COVID impacted) seasons under Clark.
Illinois kicks off postseason play on Thursday morning from Ann Arbor, Mich., as Michigan hosts the Big Ten Women’s Tennis Tournament. No. 5 seed Illinois will face the winner of No. 12 Rutgers and No. 13 Michigan State on Thursday at 9 a.m. CT. Action will be streamed on B1G+.
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