IU faces 2 tough weekend opponents

If the IU men's tennis team was getting used to playing at home, that routine is about to break in a large way. \nThe Hoosiers will swing southeast this weekend for two hard-hitting engagements against ranked teams, No. 9 Virginia and No. 57 North Carolina State, two teams with stellar early season records and tough lineups. \n"We've got to be mentally ready for the two matches in two days," IU coach Ken Hydinger said. "That's the way college tennis is. No matter what happens on Saturday, we have to be ready to play on Sunday. That's the situation."\nSaturday's match at Virginia could very well be IU's most difficult of the season. The Cavaliers feature a school record of five ITA ranked players, including three players ranked in the top 40 nationally. They will look to maintain their undefeated record today when they host No. 36 Alabama before the IU match Saturday.\nSenior Jakub Praibis, who defeated Virginia's No. 1 player last year in a 4-3 Hoosier loss, is happy to have another opportunity to play the Cavaliers.\n"We've got nothing to lose playing these guys at their place," he said. "We need to take advantage of having this chance to beat such a good team."\nVirginia presents a unique challenge for IU, Hydinger said.\n"With a team like Virginia, you've got to not only have outstanding effort," he said. "You've got to have quality play coupled with the effort. It's going to take some mental toughness to get the job done on the road."\nAfter the Saturday match, IU will drive south from Charlottesville, Va. to Raleigh, N.C. in preparation for N.C. State. \nN.C. State leads the all-time series with IU 14-10, but IU has won the last seven contests, including a 7-0 victory in 2004. Junior Neil Kenner said the Hoosiers have to come ready to play despite the back-to-back match days.\n"It can be tough, having two matches in two days, but it shouldn't be for us," Kenner said. "We've all grown up playing more than one match in a weekend, so it shouldn't be a major factor."\nN.C. State brings its own 8-0 undefeated record into the weekend before its Saturday match with Purdue. Three of the Wolfpack's wins have come by the score of 7-0, and three have been 6-1 decisions. Praibis said the Wolfpack is not to be taken lightly despite last year's results.\n"We beat them 7-0 last year, but five of the matches were three-setters," he said. "They are really going to be coming after us, trying to take their revenge."\nFor Hydinger, the experience of the weekend will prove to be its own best practice.\n"You can work on things like getting in shape in practice," he said. "You can only get the heat of the matches when you get out into the season. The best practice is match play."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Eamonn Brennan at eabrenna@indiana.edu.