The University of Illinois Fighting Illini women’s tennis team announced on April 1 that it will open a four-match homestand by hosting No. 17 Michigan on Saturday, April 4, and No. 75 Michigan State on Sunday, April 5, at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., with free admission for attendees.
The upcoming matches are important as Illinois continues its Big Ten Conference slate, seeking to improve its standing in NCAA Division I competition. The Fighting Illini currently hold a 5-2 record in conference play and have faced several highly ranked opponents this season.
Senior McKenna Schaefbauer has been recognized for her performance, finishing March with a strong singles record and earning the Big Ten Women’s Tennis Player of the Week honor following the opening weekend of play. Schaefbauer was ranked as high as No. 29 nationally during March and achieved her highest-ranked win over the country’s No. 40 player earlier this season.
Michigan enters the weekend with a seven-match win streak and holds a conference record of 7-1 while sitting at No. 17 nationally. The Wolverines feature top-ranked singles players Piper Charney (No.6), Lily Jones (No.22), and Reese Miller (No.112). In doubles, Jones/Bernales are ranked No.37 and Charney/Sartz-Lunde are ranked No.76 nationally.
Michigan State arrives with an overall record of .500 for the year (9-9) but has struggled within conference play at 2-6 so far this season; their doubles team Morais/Blackford is currently ranked No.43 nationally.
The Illini roster features several new additions including transfers Tess Bucher from Kentucky and Cara Mester from Oklahoma along with freshmen Risa Ueno, Lizzie Isyanov, and Kimiko Cooper—part of a class that was rated among the top recruiting classes in both national rankings and within the Big Ten Conference according to recent evaluations.
Head coach Evan Clark is now in his eleventh year leading Illinois women’s tennis with an overall dual match record of 156-108 (.591) at Illinois—including three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under his leadership—a program milestone noted by the official website.
As part of University of Illinois athletics based in Champaign, the team competes within NCAA Division I through membership in the Big Ten Conference according to university sources. The Fighting Illini continue their home schedule against UCLA on April 10 followed by USC on April 12.
