IU hopes to bounce back versus Badgers

The No. 39 IU men’s tennis team will look to bounce back into form this weekend following a lopsided loss to No. 2 Ohio State on Wednesday. \nThe Hoosiers will have the opportunity to earn two Big Ten victories this weekend and move over the .500 mark in conference play. IU will host No. 35 Wisconsin on Saturday and Northwestern on Sunday. \n“We are going to face two tough teams this weekend,” IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “Wisconsin just knocked off the No. 16 team in the country and Northwestern is a determined team.”\nIU (12-5, 2-2) has dropped three of its last five contests after winning seven of its first eight this season. \n“I’m looking forward to this weekend,” freshman Lachlan Ferguson said. “When I look at the schedule I don’t see any teams on it that we shouldn’t win against.”\nThe Hoosiers lost the doubles point on Wednesday for just the third time this season. Much of their success has been built upon controlling doubles play and heading into singles play with a 1-0 lead. \n“We did it for a little while (on Wednesday),” said junior Peter Antons, commenting on the Hoosiers struggles in doubles play against the Buckeyes. “We need to keep our feet moving and get it done the next time out.”\nThe Badgers are 12-7 overall this season and 4-1 in Big Ten play. Last weekend, they knocked off No. 66 Purdue and No. 16 Illinois, 6-1 and 5-2, respectively. Earlier in the season, the Badgers dropped five straight contests, but since then they’ve won eight of their last 10. \nSeniors Dara McLoughlin and Thomas Richter will have their hands full with two of the Big Ten’s top singles players in Wisconsin’s No. 44 Moritz Baumann and No. 100 Nolan Polley. \nMcLoughlin played in the No. 1 singles slot for the first time this season on Wednesday, dropping Richter into the No. 2 slot.\n“I am still trying to find someone who will embrace the No. 1 position (in singles),” Bloemendaal said. \nNorthwestern enters the match with a 7-11 overall record. The Hoosiers hope to prevent the Wildcats from earning their first conference win of the season, as Northwestern is 0-for-5 in its attempts to earn a Big Ten win this spring.\nSaturday’s match against Wisconsin will begin at 11 a.m. on the IU Varsity Courts. Sunday’s match against the Wildcats will begin at 1 p.m. at the same location.