Hoosiers open 4-match home stand

It is said home is where the heart is, and that is where the No. 68 Hoosiers (8-8, 2-2) will be after taking to the road last weekend, pulling an upset of then-No. 51 Penn State. IU will be welcoming a pair of foes from the Great Lakes state in No. 55 Michigan State (14-9, 1-4 Big Ten) Friday and No. 50 Michigan (10-5, 2-3 Big Ten) Saturday at the IU outdoor Varsity Tennis Courts.\nIn preparing for the Spartans, IU faces a team currently residing No. 10 in the conference due to a rocky start. This is a team that has fallen victim to losing close matches during Big Ten play, as three of its losses were 4-3.\nThe Wolverines will be coming to Bloomington after getting their 10th victory of the season last weekend against Iowa. Currently, Michigan sits alone at 5th in the conference and will bring the No. 55 player in singles Michael Rubin into Saturday's match.\nThe matches this weekend will play a factor in how the team is seeded in the Big Ten tournament, and the importance of the matches are recognized, IU coach Ken Hydinger said.\n"These are big matches. Win two, we're 4-2; lose two, we're 2-4 with only four to go," Hydinger said. "The key is that if we can put together a good little streak here, we can get in a good position for the Big Ten (tournament)."\nComing off the win over the Nittany Lions, a team ranked over 20 spots ahead of it, IU is full of confidence after rebounding from a tough loss to Ohio State.\nThe Hoosiers hope to carry that momentum into the weekend matches and attempt to move up in the Big Ten standings as well as increase their possibility for an NCAA tournament berth.\nBeing outdoors is one element the Hoosiers of which will look to take advantage, as well as being at home, junior Jakub Praibis No. 60 in singles said.\n"I think we can take some advantage of it because they are not used to playing outdoors as much as us," Praibis said. "But we shouldn't think it should be any easier just because we are at home."\nAs the conference season goes into its final stretch, the team is feeling its improvement as the season progresses. \nThough the team has lost some tough matches in conference and out-of-conference, things are going in the right direction heading into the weekend's matches, sophomore Neil Kenner said.\n"I don't think we have anything to be upset about. I think we are in a good position right now," Kenner said. "We seem to be getting better every match, and if this trend continues, I think we should be in a good place by the end of the season."\nThe match with Michigan State begins at 1 p.m. today, and the match with Michigan begins at noon Sunday. \n-- Contact staff writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.