Illini Women’s Tennis splits weekend matches to conclude regular season

As the regular season concluded and the Illini women find themselves in the midst of one of the best seasons in program history, the squad dropped a heartbreaker at Ohio State and found redemption at Penn State.

On Friday, the Illini traveled to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes, who are now 7-3 in conference play. The Illini took a 2-0 lead after taking the doubles point and Emilee Duong winning her match.

After a couple Buckeye points, phenom Mia Rabinowitz won her tenth straight to give the Illini a 3-2 lead. That, regrettably, was not enough as Ohio State won the final two points to seal the victory.

Sunday saw a quick turnaround for the Illini as they traveled to Penn State to finish out the regular season. In convincing fashion, the Illini won 5-2, securing sole possession of third place in the Illini record book. Wins by Jaclyn Switkes, Daniela Perdraza-Novak, Mia Rabinowitz, Sasha Belaya, and Emilee Duong pushed Illinois to victory as they look to take on the Big Ten’s best this week.

Mia Rabinowitz, on Sunday, won her 11th straight singles match. I don’t think a big enough deal is being made of this feat. I am new to tennis, but this is an impressive streak for any athlete in an individual sport to accomplish.

Now, the Illini will get set for the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis on Thursday. Check out my Big Ten Tournament preview on Wednesday and support the Illini!