CHICAGO (March 12, 2024) – The UIC women's tennis program (3-7) in back on the court for two midweek matches as the Flames travel to Chicago State (7-11) Wednesday afternoon before hosting Rutgers (8-3) Thursday morning in non-conference action.
 
Wednesday's contest will start at 12 p.m. at the H-F Racquet & Fitness Center in Homewood, Ill., while Thursday's match will take place at 10 a.m. at the XS Tennis Village.
 
SCOUTING CHICAGO STATE

• The Cougars enter Wednesday's match with a 7-11 record and are winners of their last four. In its most recent match, Chicago State defeated Georgia State 4-3 (March 3).
• CSU is 7-3 when competing at home this season. Its match against UIC ends a five-match homestand. The team has competed in the Chicagoland area for its last nine matches, with away contests taking place at the XS Tennis Village and the Henry Crown Field House.
• UIC is 9-1 against Chicago State in its last ten matches, dating back to 2007. Its last loss to CSU came in 2009.
• The Flames lead the overall series 10-5 and are 4-2 in road contests against the Cougars.

SCOUTING RUTGERS

•  The Scarlet Knights are 8-3 on the season and are coming off a 5-2 home victory Sunday against Army.
• Rutgers is 4-1 in road competitions this season.
• Junior Minchae Kim is undefeated in singles competition since Feb. 3 while competing at the Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 spots.
• Thursday's match against UIC opens a three-match road trip for Rutgers in Illinois. The team travels to Big Ten foe Northwestern Friday and Illinois Sunday.
• The contest between the Flames and Scarlet Knights will be the first between the two programs in program history.

LAST MATCH

• The Flames fell 5-2 to Georgia State (4-6) on March 2 at the XS Tennis Village.
• Junior Mayu Ushio (Yamaguchi, Japan/Miami University) and senior Zara Ryan (Dublin, Ireland/Utah State) won singles matches for the Flames in the loss.
• After coming back from being down 5-2 to win the first set 7-6, Ryan made quick work of her opponent in the second set to come away with the straight-sets victory. The win was the senior's second singles win in a row and the third of the 2024 season.
• The No. 3 singles match was one of the more exciting contests of the match. After dropping the first set, Ushio was tenacious once again, fighting back in the second set to force a third set. The junior came away with a thrilling 11-9 tie break victory to win the set 7-6 and secure the match victory. Saturday's win is the junior's second singles victory of the weekend and her fifth win for the Flames this season.

MEET HEAD COACH ELIZABETH LUMPKIN ROBINSON

• Elizabeth Lumpkin Robinson was named the 10th head coach in program history in November.
• Lumpkin Robinson grew up in Naperville, Ill. and returns to the Chicagoland area following six seasons as an assistant and associate head coach at the University of Oregon.
• While in Eugene, Lumpkin Robinson helped lead the Ducks to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths (2018, 2022) and five winning seasons. She also mentored a pair of players to appearances in the NCAA Singles Championship, along with three All-Pac-12 selections and one All-American.
• Coach Lumpkin Robinson is a former WTA pro and NCAA champion (UCLA) and a four-time Illinois state champion. She became the first and only women's tennis player in Illinois prep history to win four consecutive state championships. 

FOLLOW THE FLAMES

• For more information on the UIC women's tennis program, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UICWTEN and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_wten and @uicflames).