Split sends Ball State home with loss, WMU with win

The No. 53 Hoosiers went into the weekend matches looking to pick up important victories to improve their stock for the NCAA tournament. IU was able to blow past Ball State 7-0 but had a tough time and lost a close match to Western Michigan, 4-3, in the final set of the match, which dropped their record to 4-3 on the season.\nThe Hoosiers began play Sunday against a feisty Western Michigan team that had already knocked off one Big Ten opponent and was looking to do the same to the Hoosiers.\nGetting the win was important, especially because it was a large deficit, Ishtuganov said.\n"I was a really good match," he said. "I think we showed a lot of character, and we're able to come back from a tough situation."\nAfter doubles play, things appeared to get rocky for the Hoosiers, as they fell behind in four of the six singles matches. The Hoosiers fought back and were able to get back in the match after falling behind 3-1 to tie it up at 3-3 going into the final match.\nOne of players helping lead the comeback effort for the Hoosiers was junior Tom Bagnato, who was able to win 6-3, 7-6(3).\nThough the team fell behind, being able to claw back into the match and tie it up shows a lot about the team's character, Bagnato said.\n"Everybody on our team is a fighter," he said. "Nothing bothers our team. If we're down, our opponent always knows that we'll make it close or competitive and that no match is over until we shake the other team's hand."\nThings went much better for the Hoosiers against the Ball State Cardinals, as IU rolled to a 7-0 victory against the No. 62 team in the country. \nA sentiment among both players and coaches after the Western Michigan match is that play will have to be more aggressive after doubles matches in order to be successful throughout the rest of the season.\n"I think the one thing we can take away is being really ready to play after doubles," IU coach Ken Hydinger said. "Maybe we got to be a little more eye of the tiger when we come off doubles."\nThe Hoosiers will resume their homestand on Saturday against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at noon at the IU Tennis Center.\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.