The University of Illinois Fighting Illini Women’s Tennis team will end its 2026 regular season with matches against Rutgers and No. 45 Maryland, according to an April 16 announcement. The Illini will play Rutgers on Friday at 11 a.m. Central Time in Piscataway, New Jersey, followed by a match against Maryland on Sunday at 10 a.m. in College Park, Maryland.
These matches are significant as they mark the final opportunity for Illinois to improve its conference record before the Big Ten Tournament begins on April 23 in Columbus, Ohio. The Fighting Illini currently hold a No. 58 national ranking and have a conference record of five wins and six losses this season after recent defeats by top-20 ranked teams UCLA and USC.
Illinois has faced tough competition throughout the year, with nine of its twelve dual match losses coming against teams ranked in the top-25 nationally. As reported by the official website, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini Women’s Tennis participates in NCAA Division I competition according to the official website. The team also competes within the Big Ten Conference as part of University of Illinois athletics according to the official website.
Rutgers enters this weekend with one win and ten losses in Big Ten play (8-13 overall), while Maryland holds a stronger position at seven wins and four losses within the league (15-5 overall). Notably for Illinois, senior McKenna Schaefbauer was named Big Ten Women’s Tennis Player of the Week earlier this season after earning her highest-ranked career win over a top-40 opponent.
Several Illini players have achieved individual rankings: Schaefbauer is currently ranked No. 57 nationally in singles; Tess Bucher and Alice Xu are ranked No. 65 as a doubles pair after defeating USC’s No. 24-ranked duo earlier this month.
Looking ahead, following these final regular-season matches, Illinois aims to secure one of twelve spots at next week’s conference tournament as it continues its NCAA Division I campaign based out of Champaign according to the official website. The program operates as part of collegiate athletics under head coach Evan Clark’s leadership according to the official website.
