With the fall preseason now complete, the Illinois women’s tennis team looks ahead to the start of the regular season in the spring. Competition is nothing new for freshman Megan Heuser, whose passion for the sport began when she was only three years old.

“(Tennis) was never a sport that ran in the family,” Heuser said. “But my dad got me interested, and I really loved it from there.”

Heuser’s tennis journey would only get more impressive. During her playing career at Lakes Community High School, Heuser earned four-time Northern Lake County Conference All-Conference, a four-time All-State selection, four-time sectional champion as an individual and two-time sectional champion as a team. To top it all off, she became the 2019 Illinois state champion and achieved an incredible 122-3 record over the course of her four-year high school career.

When the time came to look at colleges, Heuser initially began the recruiting process not wanting to attend an in-state school. This, however, changed on her visit to Champaign.

“I just loved the coaches, I loved the atmosphere here and I loved how everyone was supporting Illinois instead of other college teams around,” Heuser said. “Everyone was an Illini fan here, and honestly the whole campus just feels like a family and I love that part of it.”

The fall preseason provided valuable experience for Heuser, who felt it gave her a good glimpse into what to expect for the spring. 

Heuser soon realized that the level of talent in college is far greater than in high school. There is less of a skill disparity between opponents, as “everyone’s at the same level” when it comes to collegiate play. Therefore, winning tennis matches comes down to “who can be better at the smaller things.”

The on-court differences between high school and college tennis were not the only disparities Heuser noticed, but the amount of heckling from fans and noise in general was something not common in high school matches. 

“Tennis is such an etiquette sport,” she said. “When we played back in Juniors, nobody was talking. Now, when you go into college, teammates are cheering for you; you’re cheering for them. It was such a different atmosphere, and it honestly makes it more fun.” 

College tennis takes a much larger focus on the team aspect of the sport than professional tennis does. There are many positives Heuser feels she will bring to the Illini in the spring.

“I’m confident in myself to be a pretty big contributor to doubles specifically,” Heuser said. “I also tend to be more on the louder side of things in supporting the team and bringing out the best in people. Butm I think my strength right now is for sure doubles. My game is really suited for doubles.”

Heuser had a strong doubles performance at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Regional back in September. She went 3-0 while competing with junior Ashley Yeah. Heuser also went 3-0 in singles play during the same event.

Being a freshman, this year is just the first of four for Heuser. She aims to become an All-American and an NCAA champion before her time as an Illini is up. When looking ahead to the start of her first official season in the spring, Heuser named Ohio State and Northwestern as the two opponents she looks forward to competing against the most. But, above all, Heuser is most eager for the season to finally get underway. 

“I’m just excited to play our first home match in front of all the fans,” Heuser said. “And being around my team, as we’re all best friends. We’re all so close and being able to play and support one another is just so much bigger than I ever realized. I’m playing for my school, and I think that’s amazing.”

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