Illinois (4-6, 1-1) secured its win against Nebraska (7-2, 0-1) during Friday’s match. The Illini performed exceptionally both in singles and doubles in Lincoln, Nebraska, bringing home two wins in doubles and three in singles. The Cornhuskers fell short with one win in doubles and zero in singles.
2 straight doubles
No. 86 in doubles rankings, sophomore Tess Bucher and junior Alice Xu, brought down sophomore Conley Raidt and junior Emma Rizzetto for the win. Illinois set the tone early, earning and maintaining a two-game lead over Nebraska, eventually winning the match 6-4.
Following another win, the two sophomores, Ariel Madatali and Cara Mester, fought Nebraska throughout the entire set. Both teams stayed in motion, remaining neck-and-neck until reaching a 5-5 deadlock. Both competed for the next two games, but Illinois ultimately secured the win over Nebraska. Two out of the three doubles went to Illinois, and the final win went to Nebraska juniors Reya Lee Coe and Yuzi Miyoshi.
3 singles ladies for win
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The first Illini to win a match was sophomore Tess Bucher, who swept junior Tiziana Rossini in a quick win. Bucher improved during every game in the first set, and Rossini stayed steady toward the end, but Bucher found the win at 6-4. Bucher breezed through the win in the second set, moving forward in every game, and won 6-0.
No. 34 senior McKenna Schaefbauer combatted Nebraska’s junior Maria Taranova in the singles match. Taranova consistently advanced in the first set, which led her to win 4-6. Schaefbauer came back, advancing every game in the second set to win 6-3. The last set went to Schaefbauer, who ended the tiebreaker and advanced to 7-5.
Sophomore Cara Mester faced junior Cornhusker Reya Lee Coe in a competitive match as both went back and forth for each set. In the first set, Mester stayed strong every game, which led to a 6-3 win. In the second set, Coe bounced back as the scores flipped from the first round; Mester lost the set, 3-6. Mester brought Coe down by finally winning the last set 6-2.
Illinois repeatedly improved throughout each singles game. The Cornhuskers fought back by bringing the Illini to tiebreaker games. Three out of the six games went unfinished, but both teams played well in those matches.
No. 45 Iowa faced Illinois on March 8 in Iowa City, Iowa, advancing its record to 8-5, 2-0. Illinois led three wins in singles, as well as Iowa. For Illinois, Schaefbauer and freshman Kimiko Cooper won doubles, and Iowa won the other two doubles.
