Matches could bring about first conference victory

After five road losses to open Big Ten play, the IU women’s tennis team will return home to face Wisconsin at 11 a.m. Saturday and Minnesota at 11 a.m. Sunday.

The Hoosiers (10-8, 0-5 Big Ten) have lost four of the five conference matches by scores of 4-3. Junior Evgeniya Vertesheva said the team has to believe it can close out matches.

“I think that the result that we are 0-5 in the conference right now, it’s not just because we’ve played worse or are not keeping up with the level,” Vertesheva said. “It’s just we’ve missed a couple of deciding points in every match. But it’s mostly because a little bit of a lack of confidence, I think. So we have to deal with that issue and fix it as soon as possible, and it will be better.”

IU coach Lin Loring said aside from Michigan and Northwestern — the two conference favorites — the other nine teams in the conference can all easily beat each other. Loring said playing at home could give IU the edge it needs against the Badgers (11-7, 2-2) and the Gophers (5-11, 1-3).

“It’s going to just be who plays the best on a given day, and we’re hoping that home court gives us that one-point advantage that we just haven’t had,” Loring said.