URBANA, Ill. – Fighting Illini women's tennis got back in the win column on Monday with a 4-0 sweep of Kansas City from the Atkins Tennis Center. Illinois earned wins on all three doubles courts and followed that with singles victories by Cara Mester, Kimiko Cooper, and McKenna Schaefbauer, respectively.
Illinois improved to 4-6 on the season while Kansas City dropped to 1-6 overall (does not include UMKC's unreported result from 3/1 match). The Illini are now 3-4 in home matches this season, including three matches from hosting the ITA Team Indoor Championships.
UMKC also happens to be Illinois head coach Evan Clark's alma mater, as he represented the Roos on the courts from 2002-04.
The Fighting Illini earned their third doubles point of the season as the courts finished in numerical order. No. 69-ranked Alice Xu and Tess Bucher secured a 6-1 win at No. 1 singles. The Illini duo reached the 10-win mark together on the season with the victory.
Illinois tandems of Ariel Madatali and McKenna Schaefbauer as well as Cara Mester and Kimiko Cooper worked together for the first time in dual play. At No. 2 doubles, Madatali and Schaefbauer secured a 6-3 win and moments later, Mester and Cooper picked up their first win together in a 6-2 margin at No. 3 doubles. Across her different teammates, Mester owns a team-best 11 wins on the doubles courts.
Mester turned around as was the first off the singles courts, pushing Illinois' advantage to 2-0. The Illini sophomore secured a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 5 singles, improving to a 9-3 overall record and 3-1 in dual play.
Cooper followed suit, earning a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles to pull even at 4-4 since arriving on campus in January.
Schaefbauer closed things out with her second clinch of the season when she downed Kansas City's Amal Gati at No. 1 singles, 6-3, 6-1. The Illini senior now owns a team-high 15 wins and is up to 6-2 in dual play this spring.
Monday morning's victory marked the second sweep of the season for the Fighting Illini.
NEXT UP
Following Monday's action, head coach Evan Clark's crew will open Big Ten play with road matches at Nebraska and at Iowa on March 6 and 8, respectively.Â
ILLINOIS (4-6) 4, KANSAS CITY (1-6*) 0
Doubles:
1 - No. 69 Tess Bucher/Alice Xu (Illinois) def. Maria Bylina/Alessandra Xibilia (UMKC) - 6-1
2 - Ariel Madatali/McKenna Schaefbauer (Illinois) def. Catherine Chrobak/Amal Gati (UMKC) - 6-3
3 - Cara Mester/Kimiko Cooper (Illinois) def. Alisa Reznik/Luciana Braga (UMKC) - 6-2
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles:Â
1 - No. 84 McKenna Schaefbauer (Illinois) vs. Amal Gati (UMKC) - 6-3, 6-1
2 - Kimiko Cooper (Illinois) def. Alessandra Xibilia (UMKC) - 6-1, 6-1
3 - Ariel Madatali (Illinois) vs. Catherine Chrobak (UMKC) - 6-2, 3-0, unfinished
4 - Alice Xu (Illinois) vs. Luciana Braga (UMKC) - 6-3, 4-1, unfinished
5 - Cara Mester (Illinois) def. Maria Bylina (UMKC) - 6-1, 6-0
6 - Risa Ueno (Illinois) vs. Alisa Reznik (UMKC) - 6-3, 2-0, unfinished
Order of finish: 5, 2, 1
Duration: 1:36
Attendance: 62
