Chicago may be the only Windy City, but with recent weather conditions the Illini may consider Urbana a close relative.

Although winds hit 28 miles per hour this week, Illinois (9-9) tried to get in some extra outdoor practice to ready players for their last regular-season Big Ten duals this weekend against No. 69 Minnesota and No. 56 Iowa.

Temperatures will have to stay above 50 and the winds need to be below 20 miles per hour for the matches to be held outside. But even with winds hovering right below 20 miles per hour, players have to adapt.

“You have to be more consistent and have a lot more patience out there,” head coach Michelle Dasso said. “It’s important to put a little more spin on the ball and to not hit big shots as flat. But the biggest thing is (to) keep good footwork.”

On Wednesday, the team started practice outdoors but after warming up and hitting for 30 minutes, it was clear it needed to move inside.

“The first 30 minutes of practice really blew us away,” sophomore Megan Fudge said. “On one side I was trying to hit the ball as hard as I could and it would barely go over the net, and on the other side I would barely touch the ball and it would fly for miles.”

However, playing outside in windy Urbana may favor the skill sets of certain Illinois players.

“Playing in the wind is harder for power hitters, but it’s better on girls that can grind out shots,” Dasso said. “Fudge would be great playing outside against a huge power hitter because she can grind it out and she can slice it and dice it.”

Saturday, the Illini take on the Gophers (13-9), a team that a year ago eliminated them from the first round of the Big Ten Championships.

The team’s match on Sunday against the Hawkeyes (11-8) is Senior Day, commemorating seniors Momei Qu and Alejandra Meza Cuadra and their contributions to the team. The squad hopes fans come out at 11 a.m. both days to support the departing seniors.

“Sunday is a special day for Momei and Alejandra,” Dasso said. “We want to show a lot of respect and play hard for both of them.”

Not only is it a special weekend for the seniors, but it is another opportunity for the No. 55 Illini to gain on their opponents and raise their ranking to No. 42 to receive a bid to the NCAA Championships. After upsetting Ohio State last weekend, Illinois needs to stay on the right track to keep its hopes alive.

“We are still working to get to the NCAAs, and if we really want to do that then these are both must-win matches,” Fudge said. “We can’t show weaknesses now after a great win on Sunday. Yeah, it was awesome, but we shouldn’t forget we have to win this weekend.”

For Fudge, actions speak louder than words, after the sophomore was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the week ending April 14.

She received the award after going perfect last weekend against Ohio State and Indiana, posting two wins on court one singles and two wins on court one doubles with partner Shivani Dave. She is the first Illini women’s tennis player to receive the award twice in one season, her first coming the week ending Feb. 13.

Megan Fudge’s recent results

Court Opponent Score

No. 1 Singles Alba Berdala (4/12 vs. Indiana) 6-4, 7-5

No. 1 Doubles Brianna Williams/Katya Zapadalova (4/12 vs. Indiana) 9-7

No. 1 Singles Angela DiPastina (4/13 vs. Ohio State) 6-4, 6-1

No. 1 Doubles Angela DiPastina/Christina Keesey (4/13 vs. Ohio State) 9-7