Hoosiers fall in Big Ten opener

Intent on traveling to Iowa City and securing a win in their Big Ten opener, the Hoosiers fell short and lost to the Hawkeyes 4-3 on Saturday.\n“I thought Iowa played really well, the best I’ve seen them play,” IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “And I thought we played very nervous.”\nThe Hoosiers (4-1) overcame pre-match jitters early, winning all three doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead. Doubles play proved to be the highlight of the match for the Hoosiers, as they cruised in relative ease to 8-5 victories in each of their matches.\nSingles play didn’t go as smoothly for the Hoosiers. IU claimed only two of the six singles matches.\nSenior Thomas Richter and freshman Lachlan Ferguson kept themselves out of the loss column by defeating their opponents. Richter, playing the No. 2 position for the Hoosiers, won a marathon match against J.P. Ritchie, 6-7, 7-5, 7-6. Ferguson, playing the No. 4 position, won a match similar to Richter’s in his defeat of Reinoud Haal, 7-5, 6-7, 6-2.\nFor freshmen Philip Eilers and Santiago Gruter and senior Michael McCarthy, the losses this weekend were their first of the spring season.\nEilers fell in straight sets to Bart van Monsjou, 6-1, 6-2. Gruter also lost in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, while McCarthy lost in a three-set heartbreaker, 7-6, 2-6, 7-6. \n“I’m looking forward to Kentucky because it can only get better,” Eilers said. “You learn a lot more when you lose and I know what my deficits are. Now I’ve got to just erase those deficits.” \nIU will take a brief break from Big Ten play when it plays Kentucky at 4 p.m. today at home.\nThe Wildcats come to Bloomington boasting a 4-1 record after dropping their most recent contest, a 4-3 loss to Miami.\n“I expect a very tough match,” Bloemendaal said. “They are very strong at the top and compete hard from the middle to the bottom.” \nThe Hoosiers hope to recover from their loss to Iowa quickly and improve their play when they hit the courts \nagainst Kentucky.\n“We need to come in with a very positive attitude,” junior Peter Antons said. “This is a great opportunity for us to get a big win.”