No. 18 IU defeats No. 70 Spartans for 2nd consecutive road victory

The No. 44 IU men’s tennis team showed up in East Lansing on Saturday focused and ready to play. \nThe Hoosiers’ mindset didn’t waver as they downed No. 70 Michigan State 4-3. \nIt was the second consecutive weekend the Hoosiers beat a Big Ten opponent 4-3 on the road.\n“We’ve certainly gained a lot of confidence,” freshman Phillip Eilers said.\nThe week to prepare benefited the Hoosiers as they built an early lead and earned their fourth point before the Spartans could get on \nthe scoreboard.\nIU continued its success in doubles play and topped Michigan State in all three matches to go up 1-0. The Hoosiers led early in each of the three matches, but the Spartan team was resilient. \n“(Michigan State) just kept coming back and tying it up,” IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “It’s hard to close on the road; they had a big crowd there supporting them.”\nIn the No. 1 doubles match, freshman Lachlan Ferguson and Eilers topped the 59th-ranked doubles tandem of Billy Gardner and Alex Forger by a score of 9-7. \n“They have a real talented side,” Ferguson said. “A lot of big hitters.”\nPrior to the match, Ferguson spoke about the fast courts at the Michigan State Indoor Tennis Facility and how the speed could benefit his style of play. \n“Ferguson had one of his best days in the last month,” Bloemendaal said. “He played extremely well from start to finish.”\nFerguson, along with seniors Dara McLoughlin and Michael McCarthy, each accounted for one of the Hoosiers victories, sealing the deal with a 4-0 lead. \n“Mike and Dara kept their energy up all match long and that was the difference for them,” Bloemendaal said.\nThe remaining singles points went in favor of the Spartans, each in three-set matches, but the damage had already been done by the Hoosiers who improved to 12-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten.\nIU will host No. 2 Ohio State at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the IU Tennis Center. \n“They make a lot of balls, and when you do that, toughness becomes more of a factor,” Bloemendaal said of the highly-touted Buckeye team. “Their guys are committed to keeping the ball over the net and not making unforced errors.”