Hoosiers look to remain unbeaten

The old and the new will collide for the women's tennis team at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the IU Tennis Pavilion.\nThe old -- classic rival Ball State, a team the Hoosiers have handled in all 10 of their prior meetings. The new -- Bowling Green, a team IU has seen once before in team competition.\nAfter a fall season with no team meets, the Hoosiers are 2-0 with wins last weekend against Western Michigan and Miami of Ohio. IU breezed by both teams with one loss in the 14 matches.\nCoach Lin Loring used those matches to fiddle with his lineup. He said he plans to do the same this weekend.\n"These are two of the better teams in the Mid-American Conference," Loring said. "Ball State will be tough in certain spots. They're a lot like Western Michigan. If we play well, we'll win, but they will test us."\nLoring said IU is using this weekend's contests to prepare for next weekend's match with a strong Marquette squad.\nIU is ranked 49th among the Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. Four Big Ten schools sit ahead of the Hoosiers in the spring preseason rankings (No. 22 Ohio State, No. 33 Illinois, No. 35 Minnesota and No. 44 Iowa). Both of this weekend's counterparts, Ball State and Bowling Green, are unranked.\nFor IU, a new combination has been successful in the No. 1 doubles slot as senior Kelly Blanch and freshman Martina Grimm went 2-0 in their first competitive matches together.\nSaturday's match will be Ball State's season opener. The Cardinals return six letter winners, led by a four-member senior class, in coach Kathy Bull's 13th season in Muncie. \nGena Tranquada, who has received Second Team All-Mid-American Conference accolades in each of her three seasons at BSU, returns at the top of the Cardinal lineup in her senior season. She has logged a 65-52 overall singles mark and has combined for a 64-47 doubles ledger. \nBull needs the seniors to lead to have a shot against IU, the toughest competition her team will see, she said.\n"This senior class is probably the most solid group of student-athletes, citizens and friends that this program will ever see," Bull said. "The greatest challenge we face this season is the mixing of old and new. The four seniors have worked very hard to make the transition for the younger players as comfortable as possible." \nBlanch is considered IU's top returning player this season after playing No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles last season. After a fall singles record of 3-3, Blanch opened the spring solidly, going 2-0 last weekend. Blanch is 53-51 all-time in singles and holds a 66-45 record in doubles. Blanch is a two-time NCAA Championship doubles competitor.\nMichigan stormed past Bowling Green 7-0 Saturday. The Falcons return five letter winners from last year's 12-9 team. The Hoosiers and Falcons will meet at 2:30 p.m., following the IU-Ball State contest.\nIn the loss to the Wolverines, Bowling Green was unable to take a single set from the Big Ten power.\nDevon Bissinger was Bowling Green's best chance on the singles side, losing in No. 4 singles, 6-3, 6-4. Falcon No. 1 Meghan Rhodes was handled in consecutive sets by Michigan's Chrissie Nolan, 6-2, 6-0. Nolan, a freshman at Michigan, is ranked No. 58 nationally in singles, and in the region's top 15.\nIndiana State will also be in Bloomington, playing both the Cardinals and Falcons, but not IU.