Hoosiers halt losing streak

The women's tennis team stopped a two-match losing streak Saturday with a 5-2 win at South Florida. The Hoosiers lost their previous two matches, both Big Ten battles, during spring break. \nIU (8-6, 1-2 Big Ten) won the doubles point and didn't look back against the Bulls. The Hoosiers' only losses came at No. 3 and 4 singles. \n"It was good to get into the win column," coach Lin Loring said. "We played good, smart tennis, and the best thing about it was that we got an outdoor win against an outdoor team."\nThe Hoosiers didn't play as well March 10 and 11 when they fell to both Illinois and Northwestern, the top two teams in the conference. Northwestern blanked the Hoosiers 7-0, with IU winning one match. The duo of senior Kelly Blanch and freshman Linda Tran defeated the Wildcats' Colleen Cheng and Jessica Rush 8-6. Loring tweaked his doubles combinations in the two losses. Pairing Blanch and Tran was one of his new combinations. \n"It was a good win at No. 1 doubles for us," Loring said. "All in all, we played all right, although not as good as we are capable of."\nIllinois topped IU 5-2 the next day, leaving the Illini in second place in the Big Ten. The only team to beat Illinois in Big Ten play this season is Northwestern. IU's victories came at No. 2 and 3 singles, where junior Amanda Field and Tran won, respectively. Another new doubles team won for the Hoosiers. Freshman Martina Grimm and senior Jennifer Hsia thumped Illinois' Jennifer McGaffigan and Tiffany Eklov 8-1. \nDespite the losses, Loring said he is confident in his team.\n"All in all, I'm really pleased with the intensity and competitiveness of the team," Loring said.