Bloemendaal to experiment with lineup

A week after a 7-0 loss to Vanderbilt and a week before starting Big Ten play against Purdue, the No. 41 IU men’s tennis team is looking to boost its confidence by hosting Wright State at 10 a.m. Sunday.

IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said the Hoosiers should be heavily favored. He plans to experiment with the lineup during the match and give some seldom-used players important experience.

“I’ve seen good teams go in with not enough depth because they haven’t developed it during the season, and then they lose a player and they’re in big trouble, so I’m trying to avoid that situation,” Bloemendaal said.

IU junior Stephen Vogl, who has been playing primarily at No. 6 singles, said getting other players on the court can only benefit the Hoosiers.

“Obviously the more guys on the team playing well, the better, so we have a bunch of options going into the Big Ten season,” Vogl said.

Bloemendaal said these matches are important to schedule because they can boost the confidence of the team as a whole and of individual players who may have been struggling but are able to get in the habit of winning against lesser competition.

“The more reps you get winning matches, the better you’re going to get,” Bloemendaal said.