UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women’s tennis team (13-5, 4-4 B1G) is back on the road for matchups with Illinois (9-10, 4-4 B1G) on Saturday, April 5 and Northwestern (10-10, 3-5 B1G) the next day. Both matches are scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 42 in the latest ITA rankings, up from 53 a week ago.
In Case You Missed It
- Penn State split contests against No. 14 USC and No. 24 UCLA this past weekend. The Nittany Lions took down the Trojans, 4-3, on Friday, March 28 before dropping to the Bruins, 4-0, on Sunday.
- The win over USC was the highest-ranked win for the Blue & White in at least 20 years.
- The Nittany Lions secured the doubles point against the Trojans with victories by Jordina Cegarra and Patricia Grigoras on court two and Jelena Vico and Ciubotaru on court three.
- On court one singles, Olivia Dorner picked up the team’s first ranked singles victory of the season, a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over No. 46 Grace Piper. Against UCLA, she reached a third set in her match with No. 29 Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer. The match went unfinished with a score of 7-5, 0-6, 0-1.
- Grigoras earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week for her strong play. At the third spot, she defeated USC’s Lily Fairclough, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. She was a game short of taking down UCLA’s No. 38 Kate Fakih when the match was stopped with a score of 6-4, 5-3.
- Maria Daciana Ciubotaru clinched the win over USC with her win against Maia Sung, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, on court six.
Scouting Report – Illinois
- The Fighting Illini hold a 9-10 (4-4 B1G) record this season. The team ranks No. 51 in the ITA rankings.
- McKenna Schaefbauer plays on court one for Illinois, holding a 5-9 (1-4 B1G) dual record. Dorner and Schaefbauer met in the prequalifying round of the ITA All-American Championships. Dorner defeated her, 6-4, 6-1.
- Megan Heuser has the most dual wins on the team, boasting an 8-6 (4-2 B1G) record on court two.
- Heuser pairs with Kida Ferrari for a 6-10 (3-4 B1G) record on the top spot for doubles.
Scouting Report – Northwestern
- The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 10-10 (3-5 B1G) record and rank No. 47 in the ITA rankings.
- Sydney Pratt is ranked No. 99 according to ITA. She boasts a 13-1 record across courts two through six. Her most common spot is court four where she is 6-0. She is 3-1 in Big Ten play.
- Erica Jessel stands at No. 122. She holds a 4-6 record on court one and a 2-4 record on court two. In Big Ten competition, she is 1-2.
- Pratt and Jessel are 8-7 as a doubles duo. They are 3-5 on court one and 5-2 on court two.
Series History – Illinois
- The Nittany Lions hold a 4-28 record against the Fighting Illini.
- Penn State’s last win in the series came on April 10, 2022, a 4-3 result in Happy Valley.
- The Blue & White’s last road win against Illinois came on April 7, 2007, in another 4-3 decision.
Series History – Northwestern
- With an 0-33 record all-time against the Wildcats, Penn State is seeking its first ever win over Northwestern.
Follow along with the Nittany Lions on X, @PennStateWTEN, and on Instagram, @pennstatewtennis.