Hoosiers not phased by schedule change

Facing No. 61 DePaul without junior Thomas Richter and with senior David Bubenicek nursing an injured wrist was not going to be an easy task for the IU men's tennis team. If the No. 63 Hoosiers did not come ready to play, they very well could have seen an 'L.' Instead, they got a 'W,' literally, by beating, not DePaul, but DePauw 7-0. \nDue to the recent inclement weather, the DePaul match was pushed back to Feb. 28, and Div. III power DePauw was inserted into IU's schedule as part of the Eastern Kentucky doubleheader. \n"I think it was a definite advantage of playing DePauw instead of not playing," IU coach Ken Hydinger said. "We could've just waited for Eastern Kentucky tonight, but I thought we got some definite good stuff out of this."\nAfter a great emphasis was put on doubles in the last week and a half of practices, the Hoosiers jumped to an early 1-0 lead with a sweep of the doubles matches. Bubenicek filled in for Richter at No. 1, teaming with junior Dara McLoughlin to win 8-3. Junior Mike McCarthy and sophomore Peter Antons were victorious at No. 2, as were senior Arnaud Roussel and sophomore Mak Kendall at No. 3, 8-5 and 8-2, respectively.\nIn the singles matches, Bubenicek, McLaughlin, McCarthy, Roussel, Antons and Kendall also posted wins, completing the sweep of DePauw. Returning to the No. 1 position, Bubenicek took down the seventh-ranked Div. III player 6-4, 6-3 but an injured wrist left the Czech Republic-native dissatisfied with his play.\n"It's pretty sore right now. First match after the injury, (it was) pretty tough ," Bubenicek said, with a bag of ice over his right wrist. \nHaving not played a match in 12 days, the Hoosiers were somewhat eased back into things by facing a Div. III opponent, but the team was ready to play, and showed few signs of rust.\n"We've been playing a good amount in practice," Antons said, following his 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles. "I just love getting out there and actually competing."\nIn the second match of the day, IU defeated Eastern Kentucky 7-0, marking the first doubleheader this season in which they did not drop a single match. Even with Bubenicek's injury and the absence of Richter, the Hoosiers won all 12 singles matches without losing a set. \nNext up for IU is a Feb. 22 road match versus No. 34 Kentucky (2-3). The Hoosiers do not play at home again until March 24, when they face No. 25 Minnesota.