Evan Clark Head Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Evan Clark Head Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
The Illinois Fighting Illini women's tennis team is set to host Iowa State and No. 22 Baylor this weekend at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign, Illinois. The matches are scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. CT against Iowa State, which holds a 4-1 record, and Saturday at 3 p.m. CT against Baylor, with a 6-1 record.
Illinois has a historical edge over both teams, leading the series against Iowa State 6-0, with their last encounter in the 1991 dual campaign. Against Baylor, Illinois leads 4-2 overall but trails 1-2 under current head coach Evan Clark.
The upcoming match against Baylor will be Illinois' fourth contest of the season against a top-25 ranked team. Baylor's doubles pair Liubov Kostenko and Cristina Tiglea are ranked No. 14 nationally. For Illinois, Megan Heuser partners with Kida Ferrari as the No. 61 doubles team and with Alice Xu as the No. 89 duo.
In singles rankings, Anna Supapitch Kuearum from Iowa State is ranked No. 70; Na Dong from Baylor holds the No. 85 spot; and Zuzanna Kubacha from Baylor is positioned at No. 117.
Evan Clark is in his tenth year coaching the Illini women's tennis team and boasts an overall dual record of 134-92 (.596), including a Big Ten play record of 66-31 (.684). His home record stands at an impressive 74-28 since he began his tenure in the dual season of 2016.
The Illini recently participated in the ITA Team Indoor Championships where they faced top-ranked teams such as Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and UCLA.
Violeta Martinez achieved notable success during these matches by earning victories on both doubles and singles courts against UCLA's ranked players.
Ariel Madatali recorded her first career clinch in Illinois' victory over Northwestern earlier this year while Megan Heuser secured her first clinch of the season against Colorado on February 2nd.
Junior McKenna Schaefbauer was highlighted on the Big Ten Women's Tennis Players to Watch List following her successful sophomore season with a singles record of 17-10.
Last season, Illinois ended with a record of 17 wins—the third-most under Coach Clark—and qualified for its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under his leadership.
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