Doubleheader against N.C. State opens IU season

The IU men’s tennis team made sure that their schedule would not be any easier early in the season.

In the first match of a season-opening doubleheader Saturday, the No. 46 Hoosiers will play host to No. 57 North Carolina State — a team IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said is better than its ranking.

IU will take on the Wolfpack at 2 p.m. before a 7 p.m. matchup against the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis Jaguars.

N.C. State opened the season with a pair of 7-0 sweeps against Davidson and UNC-Wilmington but will be tested at No. 13 Louisville Friday before traveling to Bloomington.

The Wolfpack has three nationally ranked singles players — No. 61 Jaime Pulgar, No. 82 Dominic Hodgson and No. 106 Dave Thomson.

But IU senior Santiago Gruter said his team will be up to the task.

“It’s going to be a difficult match, but I think the guys and myself are really looking forward to it,” Gruter said. “I think we’ve prepared well enough for it to be a good match.”

Bloemendaal said beating a quality team to start the season could give the Hoosiers a lot of momentum.

“I think there’s a big advantage to starting off well,” he said. “When you start off well against a tough opponent it builds your confidence. So this is going to be a tough test, but to play it at home is a little easier than if we had to play the same sort of match on the road.”