The end of No. 45 Illinois’ (10-11, 5-5) home season was eventful. On top of defeating Penn State (13-7, 4-6) in less than two hours, it also took sets in five singles matches against No. 10 Ohio State (15-2, 9-1). The Illini still lost to the Buckeyes, but it was an impressive showing nonetheless.
This weekend, Illinois will head North for its second match of the season against No. 44 Northwestern (11-11, 4-6). Despite sitting one spot behind Northwestern in the ITA rankings, Illinois was victorious in their late January meeting (4-2). Round one was a rare instance of two Big Ten teams playing a non-conference match, however, Saturday will count as conference play.
Last time at Atkins
Illinois’ matches against Penn State and Ohio State were the last times three Illini got to play at the Atkins Tennis Center. Seniors Megan Heuser, Kasia Treiber and Kida Ferrari have been staples of the program for four years, all joining Illinois ahead of the 2021-22 season. The trio played a large part in the program stabilizing after two down years during COVID, currently vying for their third straight NCAA tournament bid.
“(The seniors) have been incredible,” said head coach Evan Clark. “A huge contribution to the program. It’s tough to believe their four years are over. They’ve contributed a ton on the court and off the court. Them as a collective, they’ve been through it all. Starting in the COVID era and to make the NCAA tournament the last two years and hopefully this year as well. Three years in a row would be a good send-off for them.”
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Doubling down on Northwestern
While the Illini have already beaten the Wildcats this season, now is not the time to rest on their laurels. The addition of four new teams to the Big Ten led to its postseason tournament shrinking, no longer giving automatic bids to all 14 teams. This year, only the top 12 will have a chance to battle for the title of Big Ten tournament champion. Sitting in 9th place, just one match ahead of 13th place Northwestern, Illinois needs to take care of business.
Heuser is an Illini to count on ahead of this match. Despite dropping her most recent match against Ohio State’s No. 9 sophomore Luciana Perry, Heuser battled nevertheless. Trailing 6-4, 4-1 and facing elimination in the second set, Heuser rallied to force a third set and keep the match alive for Illinois.
“(Heuser)’s grown a lot,” Clark said. “Just even this year. Her maturity … she’s still pretty emotional but in a lot of good ways now. Her tennis has developed, she’s got a huge ability level. She’s been a huge piece of the puzzle for all four years now, and this year was no different.”
Saturday at noon, Heuser and the Illini take on the Wildcats, looking to shore up their place in the postseason.
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