NCAA decision looms following loss to Gophers

The No. 26 IU men’s tennis team lost 4-0 to No. 19 Minnesota on Saturday in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

The Gophers won the doubles point and three straight-set singles matches to take the victory. Three other matches were abandoned once the outcome was decided.

IU’s Santiago Gruter and Josh MacTaggart had each won the first sets of their matches when play was stopped. The Hoosiers had previously beaten Minnesota 4-3 on April 8 in Minneapolis.

IU advanced to the semifinals with Friday’s 4-2 win against in-state rival Purdue. The Hoosiers won the doubles point and picked up singles wins from Jeremy Langer,MacTaggart and freshman Dimitrije Tasic to secure the win.

Langer and Gruter were each named first-team All-Big Ten on Thursday. They have filled the top two singles spots for the Hoosiers this year and combined to go 9-1 at No. 1 doubles during conference play.

MacTaggart was a second-team selection after compiling a 9-1 conference record at No. 3 singles.

The Hoosiers have the chance to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The draw will be released Tuesday.

Last season, IU fell to third-seeded Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
The Hoosiers, who finished that 2009-10 campaign 16-10 overall and 5-5 in the Big Ten, were not selected to compete in the NCAA Tournament.

— Daniel Allar