The Western Illinois University women’s tennis team will begin its conference season by hosting Southern Indiana at the WIU Tennis Facility in Macomb on March 14. The match is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., marking the team’s first Ohio Valley Conference contest of the year.
This event is significant as it sets the tone for Western Illinois’ campaign within the Ohio Valley Conference, where they were picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll voted on by league coaches. The Leathernecks are currently led by coach Luke Ogren in his third season and return a strong core of players, including All-OVC Singles selections Richardlyne Francois and Chloe Routier. Senior Nour Gueblaoui has also been named one of the conference’s Players to Watch for 2026.
In their most recent outing, Western Illinois narrowly lost to Northern Iowa with a score of 4–3. The team swept all three doubles matches, with wins from pairs Mana Fawcett and Jessica Hess, Chloe Routier and Nadezhda Petkova, and Richardlyne Francois and Madeleine Whip. In singles play, Routier secured a three-set victory at No. 1 while Petkova won at No. 6; however, Northern Iowa claimed four singles matches to edge out the win.
Mana Fawcett has earned recognition this season as Singles Player of the Week twice and has teamed up with Jessica Hess to be named Doubles Players of the Week four times. Western Illinois University Leathernecks Women’s Tennis competes at the NCAA Division I level according to the official website. The program holds membership in the Ohio Valley Conference according to the official website and operates from Macomb, Illinois according to the official website.
The team draws student-athletes from diverse global backgrounds according to the official website, reflecting its international reach within collegiate athletics. In addition, a player from Western Illinois earned The Summit League Women’s Tennis Player of the Week honor in 2017 according to the official website.
Looking ahead, Western Illinois aims to build on its preseason expectations and recent performances as it seeks success in both singles and doubles play throughout conference competition.
