IU begins conference season against Purdue

Precious points in the Crimson and Gold cup will be awarded as the focus of the instate rivalry turns to the hard court of women’s tennis.

The Hoosiers rose in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s rankings this week, vaulting up 25 spots and are now No. 41 in the country.

The Hoosiers will begin Big Ten play this Friday as they welcome No. 68 Purdue to the IU Tennis Center.

This contest will be the fifth time the Hoosiers square off against ranked opposition.

They are 1-3 against nationally ranked foes this year, with their lone win coming against DePaul. Overall, the team has been outscored 20-8 in those four matches.

The Hoosiers’ record stands at 11-3, and for the duration of the season they will face Big Ten opponents.

The team from West Lafayette boasts a record of 6-1 with wins against No. 46 Kansas State and No. 71 Kentucky, and most recently they trampled the Thundering Herd of No. 66 Marshall 7-0.

A 4-2 defeat versus No. 14 Clemson represents the only loss in an otherwise flawless record.

The Boilermakers’ lone nationally ranked singles player is Lynda Xepoleas, who is ranked No. 124 in the country. The Hoosiers remain without any nationally ranked representatives in singles or doubles.

The teams shared two common opponents so far this season in Kentucky and Western Michigan. Purdue tamed the Wildcats 6-1 while the Hoosiers bested Big Blue 5-2 earlier this year. The two Indiana teams had little trouble with the Broncos, both winning 7-0.

Sophomore Sophie Garre and freshman Katie Klyczek have made a formidable doubles tandem lately. Garre relieved freshman Carolyn Chupa earlier this year as Klyczek’s playing partner, and she said she is very grateful for the opportunity.

“I was really, really happy to play doubles, especially in the one spot,” Garre said. “It is a great opportunity for me. I was playing well at practice so Coach gave me this opportunity.”

Doubles is a two-person job, and Garre was quick to give her partner praise.

“I also want to give a lot of praise to Katie because she’s a great doubles player,” Garre said. “And we just seem like a good combo together.”

Taking another player’s spot on the team can sometimes be an awkward situation, but Garre said with this kind of team chemistry, bad blood does not exist between her and Chupa.

“Sometimes I feel bad, but we’re not mad at each other,” Garre said. “It’s not difficult to talk about this, but Coach gave me this opportunity so I’m like, ‘OK why not?’ I’m just going to try and do my best, and if I can still play in doubles that would be great.”

With the nonconference portion of the schedule done and Big Ten play starting up this Friday, Garre likes the team’s chances despite its extreme youth.

“Even though we have a lot of new freshmen, they are all great,” Garre said. “I think we have a much better team than last year.”