Hoosiers set to begin tourney play following 1st-round bye

The first step toward IU's run at a Big Ten Tournament championship begins today as the second seeded women's tennis team (17-6, 9-1 Big Ten) battles No. 7 seeded Iowa at 2 p.m. The Hoosiers, who have not won a Big Ten championship since 1998, meet the Hawkeyes after enjoying a first round bye for their conference-leading regular season record.\nOne year ago, IU was staggering toward the end of a 9-17 record and faced a tough first round match-up against powerhouse Michigan. This year, after sharing a piece of the conference regular season title, IU returns in a more familiar position -- as the favorite.\nBut in a field where eight of the 11 Big Ten teams are ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association top 75, every match will be close and upsets in any round are a possibility.\nSenior captain and doubles specialist Martina Grimm said while IU has played and beaten almost every Big Ten team once, the second match-up will be tougher and the team must be careful not to underestimate their opponents.\n"We have to be very careful when we play these teams again," Grimm said. "They know they've lost to us once, but at the same time, they also know what to expect from us. A lot of teams underestimated us this season, and that won't happen again in the tournament."\nGrimm, one-half of IU's No. 3 doubles team, hopes to ride the momentum the Hoosiers carry after an eight match Big Ten winning streak. The Hoosiers, who have not lost since March 28, will need to continue to have a full team effort in order to advance in a tournament loaded with parity.\nIn IU's nine Big Ten wins, especially in its upsets, no one player has carried the cream and crimson. The No. 21 Hoosiers have put together win after win with different players coming through for the team at different times. It will be the depth and consistency from positions one through six that will make IU tough to beat.\nThree weeks ago, senior captain Linda Tran won two close matches for IU in a decisive win over Michigan and a key momentum-builder against Michigan State. Her performance at the No. 2 singles position and in two doubles matches earned her IU's first Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Week award.\nBut just last weekend, it was freshman Laura McGaffigan who was awarded the Big Ten's highest weekly accolade, as she won two decisive matches against No. 16 Illinois and Purdue. IU coach Lin Loring recognized that it was the play of his freshman that has made the IU depth so dangerous.\n"I think it is great that Laura is getting this recognition," Loring said. "In three of our 4-3 wins -- Michigan, Illinois and Purdue -- she came back to win a three set match. She was the last match on against Purdue with a Big Ten title on the line. For a freshman to handle that type of pressure is really unbelievable."\nTran, one-half of IU's No. 26 doubles team said the team depth is such a blessing after struggling through her junior year. "Sparky," as she is known to the rest of her team for her off-the-court leadership and team spirit, said she knows the team's depth will be the key factor if the team is to experience success in this year's championships, something the squad could not enjoy in their 2003 campaign.\n"We have shown so far how deep we are as a team," Tran said. "Different players seem to step up in different weekends. Someone will step up and the rest will follow through -- it's just been the way things have gone this year."\nAgainst Iowa, IU handed the Hawkeyes their only loss in Iowa City in the form of a 7-0 match much closer than the score indicates. When the Hoosiers have met Iowa in the Big Ten Championships, IU holds the 2-0 advantage. But when looking at the two teams' common opponents for the season, the squads are dead even, both losing to Notre Dame and beating Marquette.\nSenior captain Karie Schlukebir added IU will have to be very careful, in every match. But this is especially true with Iowa, since the Hawkeyes have been looking for revenge since their April 17 loss.\n"We can't look past Friday's match, no matter who we play," Schlukebir said before watching Iowa dismantle No. 10 seed Minnesota Thursday. "We're just going to take it one match at a time, the same way we handled our regular season. We just need to keep playing like we have been and the rest will take care of itself."\n-- Contact staff writer Jeff Fuldauer at jfuldaue@indiana.edu.