Saturday, April 12
Evanston, Ill.
12 p.m. CT
Northwestern
1
vs
4
Illinois
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
Women's Tennis Falls to Illinois in Home Finale
4/12/2025 7:43:00 PM | Women's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. - No. 44 Northwestern women's tennis (11-12, 4-7 Big Ten) fell 4-1 to the No. 45 Illinois Fighting Illini (11-11, 6-5 Big Ten) on Saturday at Vandy Christie Tennis Center to close out the home portion of the regular-season schedule.
Ahead of the action, the Wildcats honored three graduating seniors in a pre-match ceremony: Britany Lau, Sydney Pratt and Kiley Rabjohns.
The Illini dominated in doubles action to open the match. At No. 1 doubles, the ITA's No. 81 pairing of Megan Heuser and Kida Ferrari defeated Lau and Mika Dagan Fruchtman - ranked No. 72 - by a final score of 6-1. Illinois closed the deal with a victory at the No. 3 position as well, where McKenna Schaefbauer and Kasia Treiber won 6-3 against Neena Feldman and Rabjohns.
In singles action, the Illini quickly added to their lead with wins in straight sets at both the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. On the remaining four courts, the 'Cats battled closely.
After dropping her first set 6-3 at No. 4 singles, Pratt came back strong in the next two sets, closing out a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win for her team-leading 15th singles victory of dual season. Meanwhile, the 'Cats picked up first-set victories at both No. 3 and No. 5 singles as Feldman and Rabjohns got out to early leads.
However, the Illini clinched match point before either Feldman or Rabjohns could finish, winning a tight 7-6 (7-0), 6-4 match at No. 6 singles to take the match.
The 'Cats will close out their regular season on the road next weekend at Purdue and Indiana. Both Friday's match in West Lafayette and Sunday's action in Bloomington are set to begin at noon CT.
Ahead of the action, the Wildcats honored three graduating seniors in a pre-match ceremony: Britany Lau, Sydney Pratt and Kiley Rabjohns.
The Illini dominated in doubles action to open the match. At No. 1 doubles, the ITA's No. 81 pairing of Megan Heuser and Kida Ferrari defeated Lau and Mika Dagan Fruchtman - ranked No. 72 - by a final score of 6-1. Illinois closed the deal with a victory at the No. 3 position as well, where McKenna Schaefbauer and Kasia Treiber won 6-3 against Neena Feldman and Rabjohns.
In singles action, the Illini quickly added to their lead with wins in straight sets at both the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. On the remaining four courts, the 'Cats battled closely.
After dropping her first set 6-3 at No. 4 singles, Pratt came back strong in the next two sets, closing out a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win for her team-leading 15th singles victory of dual season. Meanwhile, the 'Cats picked up first-set victories at both No. 3 and No. 5 singles as Feldman and Rabjohns got out to early leads.
However, the Illini clinched match point before either Feldman or Rabjohns could finish, winning a tight 7-6 (7-0), 6-4 match at No. 6 singles to take the match.
The 'Cats will close out their regular season on the road next weekend at Purdue and Indiana. Both Friday's match in West Lafayette and Sunday's action in Bloomington are set to begin at noon CT.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3
#1 Singles Match
12
McKenna Schaefbauer / 0 [ILL]
66
22
#2 Singles Match
12
Megan Heuser / 0 [ILL]
66
31
#3 Singles Match
1234
Violeta Martinez / 0 [ILL]
2610
630UF
#4 Singles Match
123
Kida Ferrari / 0 [ILL]
621
366
#5 Singles Match
123
Ariel Madatali / 0 [ILL]
250
65UF
#6 Singles Match
12
Kasia Treiber / 0 [ILL]
76
64
Order of Finish:
1,2,4,6
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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