Still winless in Big Ten

A pair of outdoor matches gave the IU men's tennis team the chance to put its first Big Ten match of the season into the win column.\nBut after the weekend, the win column still reads "0." \nThe Hoosiers lost to Wisconsin 5-2 Saturday at the IU Varsity Tennis Courts. The Hoosiers started out on the right foot by claiming the doubles point for the first time in the past eight matches. Seniors Milan Rakvica and Ari Widlansky paired to win 8-6 at the No. 2 position. Senior Rahman Smiley and freshman Reid Strand won by the same score at the No. 3 spot. \n"Winning is contagious, and we have not been winning," coach Ken Hydinger said. "We expect our lineup to get better and better as the season goes on, but the season does have a time limit. Sometimes it's not pretty. It's like when you're swimming and you're struggling just to stay afloat." \nThe lone singles point over the Badgers (8-6, 2-3 Big Ten) came from Widlansky. He cruised in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 against Wisconsin's Justin Baker.\n"I tried to stay aggressive and move the ball around," Widlansky said. "I concentrated on moving the ball around from the baseline. The team just didn't get some breaks today." \nHydinger said he also was disappointed in the IU players who were not playing. He said they showed little emotion and hardly any desire to win. \nAfter the match, Hydinger told his players that if they aren't competing, they should be hanging on the fence cheering for their teammates, especially the players who have injuries. \nOne of those players playing through injuries was Smiley. He competed for the first time since Feb. 23 after suffering a chronic back injury. He won the first set 6-1, then dropped the next two sets 7-6, 6-2 to David Hippee at the No. 3 position. Smiley was plagued with cramps, too, as he was affected by a cold and the cool weather outdoors. \nSmiley wasn't the only injured Hoosier. Freshman Jakub Praibis had an injured groin and hip. \n"This loss was frustrating, but it shows that we're right there," Widlansky said. "If we keep fighting hard, eventually we will get wins."\nThe Hoosiers searched for redemption against No. 20 Minnesota on Sunday. That redemption would not come, as IU lost 6-1 to the Golden Gophers. \nThe Hoosiers started strong in doubles, keeping each match close, but IU couldn't capitalize on the decisive moments. Junior Zach Held and freshman Ryan Recht made a furious comeback after being down 6-1. \nAfter a tough effort, the Hoosiers (6-12, 0-6) ultimately won the point and forced a tiebreaker, which they won 7-5. The final score was 9-8, and Held and Recht improved to 2-4 this spring and received their first conference victory as a tandem. \n"I'm proud of No. 1 doubles. They started to use an Australian formation, and it worked for them," Hydinger said. "Ryan feels a lot of pressure sometimes. He has to realize that he has Zach to back him up and he needs to play more relaxed. Zach was ripping some nice returns."\nRecht said Held and himself just changed their serves and patterns around and got their opponents off their groove. \nFor the second time in as many days, the only singles point came from Widlansky. He defeated Reven Stephens 6-3, 6-4 at the No. 6 position.\nRakvica and Recht challenged their opponents to three sets before losing. Rakvica lost the second set 6-0 after winning the first 6-4. He fought hard in the third before losing 6-4. \nRecht started off well, winning his first set 6-4. Then he dropped the second and third sets 6-0, 6-3 to Avery Ticer. \n"I got my confidence going with a fast start," Recht said. "In juniors my opponent was ranked very high, so it felt really good to come out strong."\nSmiley dropped his match against Minnesota (11-4, 4-1) in straight sets. He dropped his career Big Ten singles record to 21-14 and this year's mark to 10-10.\nPraibis sat out again with an injured groin and hip.\nWidlansky said he's learned through experience and remains confident in the team.\n"We have to keep our heads up. Coach told us to stick with it," Widlansky said. "He said it will come if we continue to scrap"