Illinois Women's Tennis Headed to Georgia for ITA Kickoff Weekend
June 18, 2026 | Women's Tennis
News
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini women's tennis used the 29th pick in the 2027 ITA Kickoff Weekend Draft to select the Athens, Georgia, site from January 22-23, 2027. Illinois, the No. 4 seed, will face top-seeded No. 3 Georgia on the opening day. No. 2 seed Charlotte and third-seeded Yale are also at the site.
The ITA Kickoff Weekend Draft is an event where teams from around the country choose which host site they would prefer to play at during the 2027 ITA Kickoff Weekend. With many factors considered (travel, opponent, indoor/outdoor, etc.), the Kickoff Weekend Draft is always an exciting event that gives coaches the power to choose where their team plays. With the 14 host sites already determined (based on 2026 year-end rankings), the remaining teams select where they play based on year-end finish starting with the 17th ranked team and running until all the spots are filled.
Teams participating in ITA Kickoff Weekend are guaranteed two matches. Winners of the initial matches advance to face each other while losers will play each other as well. Teams can qualify for the ITA Team Indoor Championships by winning both matches during their ITA Kickoff Weekend.
Women's 2027 Kickoff Weekend host sites include: Texas A&M, Auburn, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, NC State, Pepperdine, LSU, Texas, USC, Duke, UCLA, and Vanderbilt. Michigan and Ohio State will receive automatic bids into the 2027 ITA Team Indoor Championships as co-hosts for the next two seasons.
As a co-host for the 2025 and 2026 ITA Team Indoor Championships, Illinois did not partake in Kickoff Weekend during those seasons. Most recently in 2024, Illinois competed as the No. 2 seed at the Oklahoma host site.
The complete draft results can be found HERE.
