Illini newcomer Alejandra Cuadra was victorious in her first collegiate match, as the 33rd-ranked Illini swept Marquette 7-0 to advance to 2-0 on the young season.

The three-set win for Cuadra came a day after she became eligible, defeating Erin Watkins of Marquette, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, in the No. 5 singles match.

“Alejandra showed no effects of a hectic start to her college life at Illinois this week,” said head coach Sujay Lama. “She did a great job in her opening match.”

The rest of the Illini played just as well, not dropping a single match in the contest. Cuadra’s match was the only singles match to go into three sets.

Senior Cynthya Goulet, who is ranked No. 111 in the nation and is 11-4 in singles play, recorded a straight-set victory at the No. 1 spot against Marquette’s Calan Smith. Junior Brianna Knue followed Goulet with a straight set victory of her own at the No. 4 seed.

“We definitely saw signs of improvement since the Hawaii match,” Lama said. “It’s still early in the season, and we can definitely play better, but I liked the energy I saw out there.”

Freshmen Macall Harkins and Momei Qu both picked up victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in singles. Qu won her match, 6-0, 6-0, not allowing her opponent to win a single game.

“I was very pleased with our freshmen,” Lama said. “They’re getting used to dual matches now and they’re gaining confidence each week.”

The Illini swept the doubles point for the second consecutive week. On Saturday, Goulet and Wang played at the top seed instead of No. 54 Harkins and Knue.

Although the Illini were flawless on Saturday, Lama believes the team needs to improve on closing out matches.

“Some of our players need to do a better job of finishing,” Lama said. “Against better opponents, there will be fewer opportunities to close out matches.”

Illinois returns to Atkins Tennis Center for a pair of matches this weekend. The Illini will host 30th-ranked Wake Forest in their home opener on Friday at 4 p.m. and No. 18 Tennessee on Sunday.