Hoosiers climb 25 spots in rankings

The IU men’s tennis team climbed 25 spots in the rankings this week after impressive victories over Charlotte and No. 42 North Carolina State. \n“We jumped up to No. 31 in the rankings and that’s a lot to absorb in one week,” IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “We have to do the next right thing and prepare properly.”\nThe Hoosiers closed the door on North Carolina State last Sunday when senior Michael McCarthy knocked off Christian Welte in three sets to give IU a 4-3 win. \nOn Monday, the Hoosiers will face No. 65 Southern Methodist at the Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas, Texas. The Mustangs are 9-5 this season and have dropped their last three contests, all to ranked teams. \n“Southern Methodist will be as talented as any team we have played,” Bloemendaal said. “Coming off some tough losses, they’re probably going to be hungrier than a lot of teams we have played.”\nThe Hoosiers seem to have gotten accustomed to outdoor play, posting a 3-1 record thus far. \nDoubles play continues to be a strength for the Hoosiers this season. In 11 matches this season, IU has posted nine victories. Against ranked teams however, IU is only 1-2 and has lost two of its last three. \nSouthern Methodist has posted a 7-4 record in doubles play, having won four of their last five contests, including wins over Minnesota, No. 24 Virginia Tech and No. 18 Virginia Commonwealth. \n“We dropped our last two doubles contests against highly-ranked teams,” senior Dara McLoughlin said. “We need to regain our strength; I know we can take it.”\nFreshman Santiago Gruter explained that while expectations may be higher because of the team’s improved ranking, the Hoosiers have still not achieved the goals they set for themselves in the beginning of the season. \n“Our expectations were high from the beginning of the season because we know what we are capable of achieving,” Gruter said. “We now have to deal with the pressure to keep up.”\nGruter was one of four Hoosiers to post a singles victory last weekend at North Carolina State and is 8-3 overall. \nFollowing their match on Monday, the Hoosiers will head south to College Station to face No. 19 Texas A&M. The match against the Aggies will conclude IU’s five-match road trip, which began on Feb. 23 against Troy. \n“Mentally we need to prepare a little differently this week,” Bloemendaal said. “But physically everything stays unchanged. I expect the same from every position this week.”