Following its season opener against Notre Dame (3-0), Illinois (0-1, 0-0) is back in Champaign for its home opener. The Illini will be opposite the Wildcats (1-0, 0-0) at noon on Saturday in search of their first win of the season. Northwestern will be the only Big Ten opponent Illinois faces until early March.
Last time out
Despite falling 4-2 in its first action of the season, Illinois’ two-and-a-half-hour match against Notre Dame started on a high note. Illness held junior Violeta Martinez out of singles and doubles in this match, with freshman Ariel Madatali filling in.
The blue-chip recruit had a strong fall season and entered the match with an 8-5 record in singles. On court three, Madatali paired up with sophomore Alice Xu to take on the Fighting Irish in doubles. The duo clinched the doubles point for Illinois with a 6-3 victory following junior McKenna Schaefbauer and senior Kasia Treiber’s 6-2 win on court two.
However, Martinez’s absence came through in singles as Notre Dame quickly picked up straight-set wins on courts three, six and four. Most notably, Madatali was matched up against Notre Dame’s only ranked singles player, No. 67 junior Akari Matsuno.
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Soon after, senior Kida Ferrari gave the Illini another point via a 7-6(5), 6-4 win on court five. It moved Illinois within striking distance for the match as a whole, but a three-set loss from No. 109 Schaefbauer sealed the deal for Notre Dame. Senior Megan Heuser was trailing 5-7, 6-3, 1-4 on court two when the dual match concluded.
Taming the Wildcats
On top of Martinez’s expected return to the lineup, Illinois also has home-court advantage this time around. The Illini did an excellent job at home last season, boasting an 11-1 record against visiting squads. One of those 11 wins was a 5-1 victory over then-No. 37 Northwestern, Illinois’ fourth straight win against the in-state rival.
Despite Illinois’ dominance over the last few seasons, most matches have been tight. The Illini’s three previous wins were all achieved by scores of 4-3, with zero margin for error.
Historically, the series is even more lopsided. Illinois’ current win streak is working against 20 straight wins for Northwestern from 2005-21. Before 2021, the Illini had a 2-26 record against the Wildcats. Now, the record stands at 6-26.
This year, the ITA rankings give Illinois an edge in singles. No. 109 Schaefbauer and No. 111 Martinez are the only ranked singles players in the matchup, both representing Illinois. However, Northwestern has the edge in doubles with No. 42 graduate student Britany Lau and freshman Mika Dagan Fruchtman. The Illini do not have any ranked duos, but Heuser and Xu ended last season at No. 63.
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