IU not overlooking last-place Spartans

The IU men’s tennis team won 15 of its 16 matches against Michigan State before coach Ken Hydinger’s arrival in Bloomington. \nSince then, the Hoosiers have continued their dominance of the Spartans, going 22-4 in Hydinger’s 21 seasons. \nWhile No. 71 IU (11-7, 1-2) might be better than Michigan State (9-11, 0-4) on paper, that means nothing to the Hoosiers. \nWhen the two teams clash at noon on Saturday at the Varsity Tennis Courts, the Hoosiers’ focus will not be who is on the other side of the net, but on their own plays. \n“This year’s Michigan State team is the greatest team ever in the history of Michigan State,” Hydinger said. “That’s what we’re going to think. It doesn’t make any difference to us (how good or bad they might be). We’re going to focus on ourselves.”\nHydinger talked about Iowa’s Christian Bierich, whom IU senior David Bubenicek beat Sunday, one day after holding a 3-0 lead in the third set before losing to the nation’s No. 10 player from Ohio State. \nHe referenced that loss when explaining that the Big Ten is unpredictable and everyone must be prepared to play each match. \n“We got to expect everybody to be good and we got to be ready, and the whole thing about this is to maximize what we can do,” Hydinger said. “The only way we’re going to beat somebody is going out and fight(ing) them.”\nJunior Thomas Richter is still adjusting to his new role at No. 1 singles. \nAfter playing three-set matches against opponents from Minnesota and Iowa, Richter hopes that last weekend’s matches will help him “get tougher on the court” and that he has to keep his head up.\n“It’s tougher playing at number one,” he said. “The level is a bit different.”\nThings won’t get easier for him. He will likely face the nation’s 45th-ranked player in junior Nick Rinks. \nRichter should also meet Rinks and partner Adam Monich at No. 1 doubles. \nRanked No. 32, the Monich-Rinks pairing is coming off an upset of the No. 7 team from Notre Dame, the same duo that defeated Richter and junior Dara McLoughlin 8-3 in late January. \nAs Richter moved up, Bubenicek came down to No. 2 (and McLoughlin down to No. 3), but has not had to face much of an adjustment.\n“It’s pretty much (the) same competition,” he said. “I feel it’s a little less pressure than playing (number) one because that’s, you know, top position and you have to come ready like every single time. There are still high expectations but the level is slightly lower.”