Chambana Sun

After a lengthy homestand that included hosting the ITA Team Indoor Nationals, the No. 45 ranked Fighting Illini women's tennis team is set to begin Big Ten play on the road. Under the guidance of head coach Evan Clark, Illinois will face No. 60 Minnesota on Friday at 4 p.m. CT, followed by a match against No. 17 Wisconsin on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT.

Illinois enters these matches with a season record of 5-6 and has yet to secure an away victory this year, holding a current away record of 0-1. Their first opponent, Minnesota, has an overall record of 8-6 and remains winless in Big Ten play but boasts a strong home performance with a 5-1 record. Meanwhile, Wisconsin holds an impressive season record of 8-1 and is undefeated both in league play (1-0) and at home (2-0).

Historically, Illinois leads their all-time series against Minnesota with a tally of 36-18 but trails in their series against Wisconsin with a record of 24-29.

In terms of rankings, Wisconsin is positioned at No. 17 nationally while Illinois holds the No. 45 spot and Minnesota ranks at No. 60.

Coach Evan Clark is now in his tenth year leading the Illini women's tennis program and carries an overall dual record of 137-93 (.596), with a particularly strong conference performance standing at 66-31 (.684). His tenure has seen significant success, including three top-ten winning seasons for the program under his leadership.

The team's recent competitions included high-level matches during the ITA Team Indoor Championships where they faced top teams like Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and UCLA before competing against Baylor.

Illinois continues to build on past successes as they aim for another appearance in the NCAA Tournament after back-to-back qualifications in previous years under Coach Clark's direction.