Five straight weekends and eight of nine opponents in the March 4 top-75 — that’s the gauntlet No. 45 Illinois (5-6, 0-0) endured to start its spring season. It only received one weekend off during nonconference play ahead of Saturday’s doubleheader with Western Michigan (8-5) and Chicago State (0-4).
“The front half of our season was just so grueling,” said senior Kasia Treiber. “We didn’t have any easy wins or ‘gimme’ matches. Having the weekend off was nice, but it was also weird that we didn’t just have another grueling match ahead of us. I enjoyed it.”
The Illini made the most of their rest and cruised to two easy wins on Saturday. Against Western Michigan, Illinois claimed a sweeping 7-0 victory as all singles matches finished even after the dual match concluded.
A few hours later, Illinois grabbed another win despite unusual circumstances. In doubles, Chicago State forfeited court three, which gave Illinois an immediate leg up.
Treiber and junior McKenna Schaefbauer delivered for the Illini, giving them a 1-0 advantage. In singles, sophomore Rosie Seccia quickly built a 3-0 lead in the first set before her opponent retired, putting Illinois up 2-0. Freshman Ariel Madatali and Treiber wrapped up their matches on courts four and five soon after, giving Illinois the victory in just 75 minutes.
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With conference play on the horizon, Treiber said she feels like her game is in a good position. On top of another year of experience, Illinois’ difficult nonconference has sharpened iron.
“I feel pretty good about my game,” Treiber said. “Having the schedule we did so far only has helped my game. I’ve gotten better as matches go on, so I feel pretty confident (in) both doubles and singles.”
Treiber is no stranger to big moments, starting as early as Illinois’ Big Ten tournament run her freshman year. Despite finishing the regular season 15-8, Illinois faced an upset against then 7-16 Iowa in the first round. The Illini jumped out to a 3-0 lead to start the match, but all eyes turned to court five after the Hawkeyes tied it at 3-3. Treiber lost her first set by a hair (6-7(5)), before rebounding in the second set (7-5) and putting the match away with a strong finish under pressure (6-3).
Ahead of her sophomore year, Treiber said that playing with more aggression was her goal moving forward. Now, the goal remains the same, if not stronger.
“(Aggression) has been something I have been working on since I can remember,” Treiber said. “Getting older and playing college tennis … you just realize you got to be aggressive.”
Illinois has finished no lower than fifth in the Big Ten during Treiber’s tenure. Ahead of the fourth and final go-around, she is determined to make the most of it.
“It does (mean more as a senior),” Treiber said. “I won’t be playing next year, so I am just trying to leave it all out on the court. I know that I won’t have this opportunity again, but most of all, I’m just having fun.”
Treiber and Illinois play the first conference match of the season at No. 60 Minnesota (8-6, 0-1) on Friday before traveling to No. 17 Wisconsin (8-1, 1-0) for another match on Sunday.
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