Hoosiers face Wildcats

After a year hiatus from NCAA tournament action, the No. 21 Hoosiers (17-7) return to the big dance as the No. 2 seed against Arizona (6-12), the No. 3 seed, at 11 a.m., Friday in Los Angeles at Marks Tennis Stadium on the campus of Southern California.\nFor the Hoosiers, this will be their 21st appearance to the round of 64 in the last 26 years.\nIU is looking forward to the opportunity to play in Los Angeles, despite being put in the same bracket as the eighth seed in the tournament and No. 6 in the country USC, IU coach Lin Loring said.\n"The thing we want is the experience of playing in the NCAA tournament," Loring said. "If we had gone to Northwestern, it would have seemed like just another Big Ten weekend."\nIn facing Arizona, IU will be up against a team from a loaded Pac-10 conference, which placed seven teams in the tournament.\nThough the Wildcats come in with a lackluster record, it doesn't mean the Hoosiers will take them lightly.\nArizona boasts the No. 11 singles player, junior Dianne Hollands, and the No. 5 doubles team in Hollands and junior Maja Mlakar.\nLast time IU matched up with a lesser opponent, it resulted in a quarterfinal bowout to Iowa and an early exit from the Big Ten tournament.\nBecause of that experience, the Hoosiers fully respect Arizona, junior No. 52 Dora Vastag (19-11) said. \n"We definitely learned from the Big Ten experience where we lost to a lower-ranked team (in Iowa) in the quarterfinals," Vastag said. "So we'll come out ready to play and not underestimate anyone like last time." \nDespite not making the NCAA tournament last season, IU has a roster with four players having NCAA tournament experience.\nAmong the four with tournament experience, three are seniors, with a loss in any match possibly resulting in the end of their careers as Hoosiers.\n"I told the girls all year to play every match like its your last," senior Linda Tran said. "We've got nothing to lose, and its time to have fun and enjoy LA and the NCAA."\nWith the NCAA tournament comes the prospect in playing in close matches, the last time the Hoosiers played in the tournament they lost to Auburn, 4-3.\nIU has been involved in six 4-3 matches this season, winning the first five before losing to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament.\nWith the prospect of a close match, the doubles point will be important. Though Arizona boasts the No. 5 team, IU will bring the No. 25 team in sophomore Sarah Batty and Tran to combat the Wildcats' duo.\nBecause the Wildcats are ranked high in the top part of their lineup in singles and doubles, the Hoosiers will need to play a solid match throughout, Loring said.\n"I think doubles will be important, but we'll have to play good singles and be competitive up and down the lineup," Loring said. "The bottom part of lineup is going to have to play well, because that is where I think we can get some points off them."\nIf IU gets past Arizona, the Hoosiers will next match up against either American University or the host USC at 5 p.m, Saturday, in Los Angeles at Marks Tennis Stadium.\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.