No. 41 IU stuns No. 15 Michigan in 5-2 upset

By Kevin Luchansky\nkluchans@indiana.edu\nAn energized and focused No. 41 IU men’s tennis team (15-8, 5-5) wasted little time in upsetting No. 15 Michigan in a 5-2 decision Saturday.\nFor the third time in as many weeks, the Hoosiers split with their weekend opponents, beating the Wolverines on Saturday and losing to No. 42 Penn State on Sunday.\nIn front of a large crowd at the IU Tennis Center on Saturday, the Hoosiers got off to an early 1-0 lead when they took the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches to earn the doubles point. \nSenior Dara McLoughlin moved up to ninth all-time on the doubles victories list for the Hoosiers with his 63rd win. He and fellow senior Thomas Richter won the No. 1 doubles match by a score of 8-4. \nThree freshmen led the way for the Hoosiers in singles play as Phillip Eilers, Lachlan Ferguson and Santiago Gruter all won their individual matches. \nEilers got it started when he made quick work of Michigan’s Mike Sroczynski in a two-set 6-2, 6-4 decision.\n“It was really nice to get that win in singles because he beat me last fall,” Eilers said. “It was a sweet revenge.”\nFerguson was not far behind Eilers, also finishing in straight sets. Ferguson was down early in the first set but climbed out of a hole to come out on top, 7-6(3), 6-2.\nGruter earned the fourth and deciding point for the Hoosiers. With the score at 4-0, the Wolverines had no shot at a comeback.\n“There was so much momentum coming out of doubles and heading into singles,” Gruter said. “It was easy to keep it going when I could look to my left and see Phillip getting it done too.”\nGruter said it was an amazing feeling to earn the clinching point in a crucial Big Ten match against a higher-ranked opponent.\nAfter the upset, the Hoosiers lost 5-2 on Sunday against No. 42 Penn State, playing on IU’s outdoor courts in front of another large crowd.\nIU managed to get off to a good start, taking two of three doubles contests to claim the match’s first point. After doubles, only Ferguson tasted victory in singles play, winning in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.\n“I got up on him early and I thought that was crucial,” Ferguson said. “He stays back and I like to come forward and attack. I won early and carried that momentum.”\nFollowing the match, there was a ceremony honoring seniors McLoughlin, Richter and McCarthy, as well as the rest of the team, and their accomplishments as the Big Ten season came to an end. \n“With a few wins in the Big Ten Tournament, we could be entering the postseason,” IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said during the ceremony. \nIU earned the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which begins Thursday at Iowa. They will face the tournament’s No. 11 seed in the first round.