Chambana Sun

The Illinois women's tennis team is wrapping up its regular season with matches on the road against Indiana and No. 60 Purdue this weekend. The team heads to Bloomington on Friday for a 3 p.m. CT match and will face Purdue in West Lafayette on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.

Currently, Illinois holds an 11-11 overall record and a 6-5 record in Big Ten play. The Fighting Illini have claimed victories against three ranked opponents this season: No. 60 Minnesota, No. 73 Michigan State, and No. 44 Northwestern. Going into Friday's match, Indiana has an 8-13 overall record with a 2-9 record in the Big Ten. Purdue stands at 11-7 overall and 5-6 in the Big Ten.

Illinois has a historical record of 18 wins and 34 losses against Indiana. Still, the team has secured victories in their last two meetings. Conversely, Illinois has a more favorable 39-31 all-time record against Purdue and has won their previous 11 meetings.

The Illini are coming off a recent win over Northwestern, where they secured a 4-1 victory. This marks their sixth consecutive win against the Wildcats.

The Fighting Illini are led by head coach Evan Clark, who is now in his 10th season with the team. Clark has amassed an overall dual record of 143-98 and boasts a 72-36 record in Big Ten play. "Evan Clark is now the program's all-time winningest head coach at 143 victories in the midst of his 10th season at the helm," states the release.

Illinois has also been active in higher-level competitions, having faced prominent teams like No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3 Oklahoma State, and No. 6 UCLA during the 2025 ITA Team Indoor Championships.

Freshman Ariel Madatali has been a standout performer, leading with 16 singles court wins. The doubles pair of Megan Heuser and Kida Ferrari also achieved notable success, upset No. 10-ranked Ohio State's duo, contributing to their No. 81 ranking in the ITA doubles rankings afterward.

Violeta Martinez demonstrated her potential against No. 6 UCLA, earning wins in both doubles and singles matches. Similarly, McKenna Schaefbauer secured her first clinch of the season against Iowa State.

Going into this weekend's matches, Illinois aims to finish their regular season on a high note before transitioning to potential postseason play.