Team comes up short in return to home court

The No. 38 IU men’s tennis team returned to Bloomington Tuesday in search of its 11th win, but came up just short. In their final non-conference match of the year, the Hoosiers took on No. 39 Louisville (12-3) and lost 4-3.\n“It stings a little right now,” IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “We can’t sulk about it, though. Those are the things that make you a competitor.”\nEarly on, it was more of the same from the Hoosiers as they continued their dominance in doubles play, taking two of three matches easily to earn the doubles point and a 1-0 lead. \n“Overall, I thought we got off to a slow start,” junior Peter Antons said. “We eventually found our niche, though, and earned the point.”\nSeniors Thomas Richter and Dara McLoughlin were bright spots for the Hoosiers Tuesday as both won their matches in straight sets, scoring early and often.\n“I played solid throughout the match,” McLoughlin said. “It wasn’t anything special, but I took advantage of the opportunities that were put in front of me.”\nRichter took down an impressive opponent, Louisville’s Austen Childs, the No. 41 ranked individual player in the country. With the loss, the Hoosiers’ record fell to 10-4. Big Ten play is just around the corner, and IU will head to Minnesota this weekend to take on a talented Gopher team. \n“After the match, we talked about getting to the next level,” Bloemendaal said. “We need to use this fuel to help us prepare for the next match and take us to the next level. We’re either moving forward or moving backward – there is no maintaining.”