When No. 53 Oregon women’s tennis (11-7, 2-4 Big Ten) squared off against No. 52 Illinois (9-7, 5-1 Big Ten), both teams showed why they are ranked so close together. The Fighting Illini had the early 3-0 advantage, but the Ducks were not going away quietly as they nearly came back to tie it.

Illinois got on the board first in doubles.

Patsy Daughters and Bridget Mihulka stood no chance in their match as they were shut out 6-0. Tilde Jagare and Olivia Symons were in a close battle, but they ultimately came out on top 6-4. Hinata Furutani and Juliet Santitto showed some fight, but didn’t have what it took to overcome their opponents. They were defeated 6-3 as the Illini claimed the doubles point.

Oregon showed some late fight in singles, but it wasn’t enough. Mihulka continued to struggle in singles. She was defeated 6-2 in her first set, and then 6-1 in her second.

Jagare also met a tremendous challenge in her match and was defeated 6-1 in her first set. She showed a lot more fight in her second set, but still could not match the No. 29 player in the country and lost 6-3 as Illinois took a 3-0 lead.

Furutani was battled in her first set, but she had just enough to top her opponent 6-4 in the first set. In the second set, she took full control, winning 6-2 to give the Ducks their first point of the match.

Virginia Crocker was cruising in her match. She defeated her opponent 6-2 in the first set. Her opponent showed a little more fight in the second set, but Crocker remained superior and claimed a 6-3 win and her match.

Symons had a strong start to her match, winning the first set 6-2. Her opponent came to life after that. Symons was still in it, but her opponent forced a third set with a 6-4 win. In the final set, Symons didn’t have much left. She was defeated 6-3 as Illinois claimed the match.

The Ducks return to action this Sunday, March 29, when they host the Northwestern Wildcats at 11 a.m.