Loss ends regular season for IU

The Hoosiers (9-16, 1-9 Big Ten) closed out their regular season with a disappointing weekend. The women's tennis team, who has lost three straight matches, dropped another two this weekend to Big Ten rivals Illinois and Purdue.\nThe No. 26 Fighting Illini improved their record to 14-6, 7-2 after a victory over the Hoosiers on Saturday, while Purdue improved to 12-10, 6-4.\nIU fell 7-0 to the Fighting Illini on Saturday, losing every match other than No. 2 doubles. Junior Martina Grimm and freshman Sarah Batty earned the Hoosiers' only victory of the day on Saturday by beating senior Eldina Fazlic and junior Tiffany Eklov 8-6. The win on Saturday was the 20th doubles win for the tandem of Grimm and Batty.\nAs has been the case for most of the season, injuries hurt the Hoosiers in singles play. Grimm and sophomore Dominika Walterova missed their singles matches due to injury, thus helping Illinois sweep the singles competition.\nThe doubles duo of Grimm and Batty again came out victorious against Purdue on Sunday, claiming the only Hoosier victory of the day. Grimm and Batty defeated senior Missy Wright and sophomore Shawna Zuccarini at the number two doubles position 9-7.\nPurdue swept the singles competition, winning in straight sets in all but two matches. Walterova and junior Linda Tran were the only Hoosiers to play three sets in singles competition. For senior Karie Schlukebir, her loss to Purdue's Wright will mark her last match of the season as she prepares for cancer treatment.\nIU now must prepare for the Big Ten Tournament, which starts Thursday in Champaign, Ill. The Hoosiers finished 10th in the Big Ten this year, which puts them in position to play the seventh seed in the first round of the tournament. That will either be Iowa or Wisconsin. The action starts Thursday and ends Sunday, April 27.