As young faces took the court for the Illini on Friday and Saturday at the Hoosier Classic in Bloomington, Ind., the Illinois women’s tennis team learned what it needs to work on before heading to the ITA Midwest Regional Championships on Oct. 18.

“I think we could have done better,” head coach Michelle Dasso said. “It is halfway through the season and some of the girls are still rusty.”

The Illini competed without two of their top women, sophomore Megan Fudge and redshirt freshman Leigh Finnegan. The two were returning from the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships in Palisades, Calif. However, sophomore Kristina Minor was a highlight for the Illini, returning to the court after recovering from a sprained ankle. Minor teamed up with freshman Candy Graetz to post a solid 3-1 record in doubles play.

“She did really well,” Dasso said. “It was great to have her back in the lineup.”

Freshman Annie McCarthy also had a solid weekend for the Illini. After going 1-1 on Friday, McCarthy came back Saturday to win her consolation singles bracket in a tight three-set match.

“She beat a girl she lost to two weeks ago,” Dasso said. “She played really well and smart and worked the points.”

Meanwhile, the hopeful freshman Marisa Lambropoulos and seniors Momei Qu and Alejandra Meza Cuadra all went 1-2 for the Illini in their singles brackets. Graetz and junior Shivani Dave both posted 2-1 marks in their singles brackets.

Despite some of the disappointing matches, the team added another body, as walk-on freshman Christine Stromberg competed on the court for the first time. Stromberg went 2-1 in her singles round robin bracket.

Dasso said she plans to make upcoming practices longer in order to prepare the women for the ITA championships.

“In the next couple weeks of practice I think we are going to pick up the intensity and conditioning,” she said.