IU still alive in tourney

The IU men's tennis team entered Thursday's game against Northwestern on a seven match losing streak. After losing the doubles point to the Wildcats it looked as though the Hoosiers were about to drop another. \n"I was really disappointed with our doubles," interim coach Matt Pledger said. \nHowever, for the first time in nearly a month, the Hoosiers were able to refocus and win four straight singles matches for their first win since a 6-1 victory over Penn State on March 29. \n"I was pretty heated with the guys after the doubles point." Pledger said. "They came back by playing some of the best singles they played all year."\nLeading the charge for the Hoosiers was sophomore Jakub Praibis, the No. 1 singles player for IU. Praibis was able to get off the court in under an hour by winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-1. Pledger said he was very happy with Praibis' play.\n"Jakub was off the court quick," Pledger said. "I did not see much of his match, but from talking to him and some other people, he played outstanding tennis. The first time they met, he got beat pretty handily, so it was nice to see him put that behind him and realize today was a new day." \nJoining Praibis in the win column for the Hoosiers were seniors Zach Held and Petr Novotny and freshman Viktor Libal who came back from last weekend's injury to win in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. \nBy winning in the first round, the Hoosiers now have a rematch with the No. 1 team in the nation, the Fighting Illini of Illinois. The Hoosiers faced Illinois last weekend at home, but were unable to win a point in a 7-0 loss.\nPledger, however, said he believes his team has a shot to turn some heads against Illinois today. \n"The big thing with Illinois is to execute," Pledger said. "We get the opportunity to play the best team in the country, and we have nothing to lose. If we continue to play hard we will get some opportunities."\nEntering this weekend, Held said he knew that the team could have a chance to face off against the Fighting Illini. \n"There is no pressure on us and it would be a great way to end my career by going up there and pull off something unbelievable," he said. \nPraibis said he's looking forward to the high level of competition. \n"It's always interesting to play against the No. 1 team in the country," he said. \nThe match begins today at 10 a.m.