Chambana Sun

The Illini women's tennis team secured a decisive 4-0 victory against Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan, marking their first regular-season road trip to the state since 2022. The No. 48 ranked Illinois team improved their season record to 9-10 and 4-4 in Big Ten play, while Michigan State, ranked No. 73, fell to an overall record of 11-8 and 3-5 in the conference.

Achieving an impressive start, Illinois claimed the doubles point with victories at both the No. 2 and No. 1 positions. McKenna Schaefbauer and Kasia Treiber triumphed in No. 2 doubles with a 6-2 win, enhancing their record to 6-1 in Big Ten competitions. Alice Xu and Violeta Martinez clinched the No. 1 doubles match 6-2, marking their first victory in that position.

In the singles matches, Alice Xu extended Illinois' lead by winning at No. 6 singles with a straight-set score of 6-1, 6-2. Ariel Madatali further extended the lead to 3-0 with a 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 4 singles, boasting a team-high 15 wins this season. Megan Heuser sealed the victory for Illinois with a hard-fought, three-set win at No. 2 singles, clinching her fourth match of the season.

Following their performance, Schaefbauer was engaged in a competitive match at No. 1 singles when play concluded, as was Martinez at No. 3. Meanwhile, Treiber's match at No. 5 singles was also left unfinished. The match lasted a total of 2 hours and 47 minutes.

The Fighting Illini will return to their home court at the Atkins Tennis Center for their final home matches on April 5 and 6. They are scheduled to play against No. 53 Penn State on Saturday and No. 12 Ohio State on Sunday.