Hoosiers to face No. 2 Ohio State in tough road match

When Ty Tucker took over as Ohio State men’s tennis coach in the 1999 to 2000 campaign, the Buckeyes had never been to the NCAA Tournament. Eight seasons later, Ohio State has been to seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments, is the defending Big Ten champion after a nine-year reign by Illinois and is the nation’s second-ranked team.\n“We got OSU on Saturday, so it’s a great chance for us to get back in the swing of things,” IU junior Mike McCarthy said after the team’s 4-3 loss to DePaul on Wednesday. “They’re a great team.”\nThe Hoosiers certainly will not have an easy time Saturday trying to contain the Buckeyes (11-1) in the first Big Ten match of the season. Looking to snap a six-match losing streak against Ohio State, the Hoosiers will have to face three ranked doubles pairings (Nos. 13, 14, 60), as well as ranked players at five of the six singles positions. \nSenior David Bubenicek and junior Dara McLoughlin likely will play Buckeye sophomores Steven Moneke and Bryan Koniecko, who are ranked No. 14 and No. 17 nationally. \nAt No. 3 and 4 for the Buckeyes, will likely be seniors No. 35 Devin Mullings and No. 47 Chris Klingemann, while one of the nation’s top freshmen, No. 60 Justin Kronauge usually plays No. 5. \nJunior Drew Eberly, Ohio State’s No. 6 player, is the only unranked player in the regular lineup, but he gave McLoughlin a good run at November’s Big Ten singles championships before falling to the Hoosiers’ No. 2 player, 6-4, 7-5. \nMcLoughlin is aware of the Buckeyes’ strength up and down the lineup, saying that Ohio State’s top five players are capable of playing at any position. Nevertheless, after the Hoosiers dropped the doubles point against DePaul on Wednesday, McLoughlin is not as concerned about singles.\n“We’ve got to really improve on our doubles and everybody’s got to have a good day,” McLoughlin said. “I definitely think it’s possible (to beat Ohio State).”\nOhio State has already beaten eight ranked teams this year. Despite losing to No. 1 Georgia 4-2, the Buckeyes have recorded wins against five top-20 teams, including No. 4 Baylor and 16-time NCAA team champions No. 5 UCLA. \n“They are ranked No. 2, but we’ve beaten the No. 2 team in the country before,” IU coach Ken Hydinger said. “If we lay it on the line, we can go out and put ourselves in a position to win.”\nSaturday’s match is scheduled for noon at the Jesse Owens West Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio.