Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois women's tennis team is set to host a doubleheader on Saturday against Western Michigan and Chicago State. The matches are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. CT, respectively, at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign.

Illinois currently holds a 3-6 record this season, with a home record of 3-5 following their participation in the 2025 ITA Team Indoor Championships. The upcoming match against Western Michigan will be the 19th meeting between the two programs, with Illinois leading the series 10-8. The last encounter took place in 2011. Later that day, Illinois will face Chicago State for the fourth time, having won all previous meetings.

Saturday's matches mark Illinois' first encounters this season with non-Power Four opponents.

The Illini are ranked No. 47 as a team, while doubles partners Violeta Martinez and Alice Xu hold the No. 67 spot in doubles rankings. In singles play, Violeta Martinez is ranked No. 112.

Head coach Evan Clark is in his tenth year leading Illinois women's tennis and has an overall dual record of 135-93 (.592). His Big Ten record stands at 66-31 (.684) during his tenure with the Illini.

Illinois recently hosted top-ranked teams such as Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, UCLA, and Baylor at the Atkins Tennis Center during the ITA Team Indoor Championships. They have also secured five consecutive victories over Northwestern since January's out-of-conference win.

Violeta Martinez achieved notable wins against UCLA on both doubles and singles courts alongside Alice Xu by defeating UCLA's No. 30 ranked duo and securing a straight-set victory over Elisa Wagle.

McKenna Schaefbauer clinched her first win of the season against Iowa State by defeating Anna Kuearum (6-2, 6-2), while Ariel Madatali earned her first career clinch during Illinois' victory over Northwestern.

Megan Heuser registered her first clinch of the season against Colorado earlier this month with a three-set win at No. 2 singles.

Junior McKenna Schaefbauer was named to the Big Ten Women's Tennis Players to Watch List after achieving an impressive sophomore campaign last year.

Last season saw Illinois finish with a record of 17-10 overall and an impressive third-place finish under Coach Clark’s leadership—earning them their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under his guidance.