No. 28 Illinois Women’s Tennis Hits the Road for Northwestern

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 28 Illinois women’s tennis is set to visit No. 72 Northwestern (5-7) in the Illini’s first Big Ten road match of the season. The contest is slated for Friday, March 10, at 5 p.m. CT, from Evanston, Ill.

Illinois enters the match with an 8-4 record on the season, including a 1-0 mark in Big Ten play. UI opened league action back on Feb. 19 when Penn State visited Atkins Tennis Center. The Illini claimed a 4-0 sweep of the Nittany Lions.

Northwestern marks the fourth ranked squad Illinois will face this season.

The Illini already have three individuals with double-digit wins in singles play this season, including Kida Ferrari (11-5), Ashley Yeah (11-6) and Kasia Treiber (10-9).

Ferrari enters the matchup with the Wildcats on a six-match win streak, including the clincher over Penn State.

On the doubles courts, Megan Heuser and Kate Duong have won six-consecutive matches as well. The duo is up to a 15-3 overall record on the season, which includes a 7-1 mark in dual play.

Last Time Out

From Feb. 24-25, Illinois competed in the Blue Gray Tennis Classic. The Illini started off play with a 4-1 win over Alabama. The Orange and Blue took a tough 4-1 loss to No. 38 Wake Forest but would close the event with a bounce-back performance against No. 31 Arizona, winning 4-3.

Illini vs. The Field

Northwestern leads 55-10 all-time over Illinois, but the last time the two sides faced, the Illini secured the 4-3 Senior Day win on April 17, 2022. 

Illini Notes

Head coach Evan Clark is in his eighth year as the head coach of Illinois women’s tennis and holds an overall dual record of 105-71 (.597) and is 51-25 (.671) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini.

The Illini are coming off a 16-9 season with an 8-3 Big Ten record in 2021-22.

Illinois returns seven of its eight players from last season, including seniors Emily Casati, Josie Frazier, and Ashley Yeah; junior Kate Duong; and sophomores Kida Ferrari, Megan Heuser, and Kasia Treiber. The Illini also welcomed new freshman Violeta Martinez to the squad. 

Ranking Notes

Singles

Doubles

Up Next 

Next Tuesday, March 14, Illinois will head west for spring break to Tucson, Arizona, for a rematch against No. 60 Arizona at 11 a.m. CT. Later that day, the Illini will play New Mexico State at 3 p.m. CT, in a neutral match from Tucson.   

…