After series on road, team returns home

After a stretch of matches on the road, the women's tennis team finally has a match at their place this weekend. In fact, it has two.\nIU plays at home for the first time in more than a month after getting one win in five tries on the road, dropping their record to 8-6, 1-2 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers will try to come back against the University of Illinois at Chicago (7-6) at 9:30 a.m. and Butler (5-6) at 2:30 p.m Saturday at the IU Tennis Complex. \nBoth schools are in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference and have never faced IU.\nBesides qualifying for the NCAA tournament last season, the UIC Flames are a perennial conference powerhouse, taking the conference crown the last four years. UIC has struggled to replace their top two singles players from last season, bearing most of the weight on one senior and three juniors. \nButler finished second to UIC last season in the conference but does not have any seniors on this year's squad. Both Butler and UIC look to contend for the championship once again this year.\nThe key for IU's success this weekend could once again be the doubles. Coach Lin Loring continues to experiment with doubles combinations, and lately it has payed off. Junior Amanda Field and senior Jennifer Hsia shut out their South Florida opponents in the teams only victory of the road trip. Senior Kelly Blanch and freshman Martina Grimm have accumulated a 6-5 record together at the No. 1 doubles spot. The Hoosiers continue to be undefeated when they win the doubles points.\nIU is ranked No. 41 in the March 14th Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, the Big Ten's fifth team. Both Butler and UIC are unranked.