Hoosiers jump 15 spots in ITA ranking

The IU men's tennis team might finally be finding its routine.\nAfter losses two weeks ago to Virginia and N.C. State, the Hoosiers took two days off, and came back last Saturday with their best win of the season, toppling then-No. 26 Louisville at home. IU followed that formula again this week as they look to even out their record against No. 72 Ball State in Muncie today.\n"I think it really helped that we lightened it up before Louisville," said sophomore David Bubenicek, who provided the Hoosiers with a key singles win last Saturday. "We went a bit easier on all the weights and the running, so we got rid of some of that tension."\nToday the Hoosiers will face a Ball State team that has jumped out to an early 6-3 record in spring play, a tally that includes a 6-1 win against No. 68 Purdue. \n"(Ball State) is always a well-coached team, and they always play hard," said IU coach Ken Hydinger. "Their doubles play is always good. This is going to be a challenge for us."\nThe Intercollegiate Tennis Association has taken greater notice of the Hoosiers after the Louisville win, with the latest rankings bumping IU up 15 spots -- from No. 70 to No. 55, the highest ranking for the Hoosiers this year. \nIU's ranking has been boosted by a tough early-season schedule, which included eight opponents that appeared in the 2004 NCAA Championship. Of those eight teams, five are in the ITA's current Top-25 team rankings. \nSenior singles standout Jakub Praibis said it will be important to focus on the match at hand against Ball State at the Muncie YMCA and forget those other distractions.\n"We will have to adjust to the courts against Ball State," Praibis said. "It's dark in there and crowded with chairs along the sides of the courts. It can be a factor if you let it. We have to stay very concentrated."\nPraibis, who won in Muncie as a sophomore, is 6-1 in singles play at the No. 1 spot this season and has already beaten four ranked opponents in singles battles. Praibis said the mental challenge is the largest one facing IU right now.\n"To keep momentum going, you've got to focus on everything mentally that you need to do," he said. "Physically, nothing much is going to change right now. Confidence and mental focus are very important, though."\nHydinger agrees with his No. 1 player's assessment.\n"The most improvements that are made this time of year come from match improvements," he said. "Things like how to get ready for matches, how to play certain points and knowing that everyone on the team has to get up and play. Mental and emotional lessons are the most important things right now."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Eamonn Brennan at eabrenna@indiana.edu.