CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Junior Ashley Yeah was tabbed as the Big Ten Conference Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week after a 4-0 weekend, the conference announced on Tuesday (March 22).
This is the first career Athlete of the Week for Yeah and the first for the Illini since Mia Rabinowitz took home the honor on Feb. 18, 2020.
The Los Gatos, Calif., native led the Illinois women’s tennis team as the Illini split its opening weekend of Big Ten Conference action, earning a 4-1 win over Minnesota on Friday, before falling to Wisconsin, 5-2, on Sunday. The junior went 4-0 on the weekend, winning both of her doubles and singles matches and improved her team-leading doubles (with partner junior Josie Frazier) and singles records to 8-3 and 9-3, respectively.
Yeah and Frazier got the Illini off to a quick start against the Gophers with a 6-3 win on court two, before she clinched the win for Illini in singles action with a 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 win over Emilee Duong on court two. It was Yeah’s second-straight clinching win at home after earning the fourth point against Cornell on Feb. 27.
Against the Badgers, Yeah and Frazier dominated on court two with a 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles. She then added the first Illinois point on the scoreboard with a 6-0, 7-6 (1) win over #111 Xinyu Cai on court two in singles.
Yeah and the Illini are back in action at Atkins Tennis Center against Maryland at 4 p.m. CT on Friday (March 25), before hosting Rutgers on Sunday (March 27) at 11 a.m. CT.
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