Chambana Sun

Fighting Illini women's tennis player Megan Heuser has been named to the Big Ten All-Conference Team, as announced by the league on Wednesday. In addition, freshman Alice Xu received recognition as a Sportsmanship Award honoree.

Heuser, a junior, has competed in both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles this season. She holds a 9-12 overall singles record, with a 7-8 record in dual matches. Against nationally ranked opponents, Heuser has achieved one victory out of five attempts. Her notable win was against Lucia Quiterio of Charlotte, who was ranked No. 98 at the time, on January 19th. In doubles competition, Heuser has an overall record of 15-14 and a dual match record of 9-8. Throughout the season, she partnered with five different teammates and secured one win against ranked opposition.

Both Xu and Kate Duong have teamed up with Heuser in doubles matches that have appeared in the ITA rankings this season.

Xu's debut season has been marked by strong performances in both singles and doubles for Illinois. The Vienna, Virginia native boasts a singles record of 12-4, remaining undefeated in duals (8-0) and Big Ten matches (7-0). Xu is currently on an eight-match winning streak heading into postseason play. In doubles play, she leads her team with 18 wins against six losses and has contributed to Illinois' records across all three doubles positions.

The efforts of Heuser and Xu have helped Evan Clark's team achieve a 16-8 overall record this season while securing fourth place in the Big Ten standings with an 8-3 mark. Under Clark's leadership, Illinois has consistently finished among the top four teams in non-COVID impacted seasons over seven years.

Illinois will begin its postseason journey at the Big Ten Women's Tennis Tournament hosted by Michigan in Ann Arbor on Thursday morning. As the No. 5 seed, Illinois will compete against either No. 12 Rutgers or No. 13 Michigan State at 9 a.m CT on Thursday. Matches will be available for streaming on B1G+.