Senior weekend brings pair of losses for tennis squad

The skid continued for No. 47 Indiana, as the team lost to Illinois and Northwestern this weekend and extended its losing streak to five matches.

The team started the weekend by losing to No. 21 Illinois 4-3.

Action started with the doubles, and the first match went the way of the orange 8-4 when sophomore Sophie Garre and freshman Katie Klyczek lost to the No. 59 doubles tandem in the nation.

IU then responded with a thumping put on by junior Leslie Hureau and freshman Shannon Murdy 8-1.

With the doubles point in the balance, the orange captured the point when senior Evgeniya Vertesheva and sophomore Kayla Fujimoto lost a tight one 8-6.

The doubles point was the difference in the match.

Singles action began with an Illini victory, as Murdy was defeated 6-3, 6-2.

In a battle of ranked competition, No. 77 Hureau took care of No. 98 Allison Falkin 6-1, 6-1. Fujimoto then added another Hoosier victory as she won in the six slot 6-4, 6-3.

Illinois responded yet again, downing Vertesheva 6-4, 6-4 in the two slot. Not to be outdone, freshman Alecia Kauss stymied her foe in a close match 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7-2).

With the score at three apiece, it all came down to the three slot in which Klyczek was facing Marisa Lambropoulos.

After losing the first set 6-3, Klyczek took the second set in a tiebreak 6-7 (9-11). But in the third and final set of the day, Klyczek fell 6-2.

The loss for Klyczek gave Illinois the conference win and handed IU its fourth consecutive loss.

IU Coach Lin Loring said he was proud of how his team fought but that the theme of not being able to close the deal has stayed consistent all season for the Hoosiers.

“Again, we were right there,” Loring said. “We were up 5-4 in the deciding doubles match and just couldn’t close it out, so we were literally a couple games away from beating Illinois.”

The Hoosiers looked to redeem themselves when they played Big Ten powerhouse Northwestern. The Wildcats, ranked No. 12 in the nation, are the current Big Ten leaders.

It was Senior Day, and IU sought to send its lone senior, Vertesheva, off into the sunset with an upset win.

However, Northwestern dampened the festivities with a resounding 7-0 drubbing.

Changing up the doubles lineups, Fujimoto and Klyczek were defeated 8-3 in the two slot. The Wildcats secured the doubles point when they ousted the French duo of Hureau and Garre 8-6.

In her last doubles match in Bloomington, Vertesheva teamed up with Murdy to win 8-5.

The Hoosiers did not fare well for the singles, either. The first to fall for IU was freshman Carolyn Chupa 6-3, 6-1. Shortly after, fellow freshman Klyczek fell 6-2, 6-3.

A long gap ensued, but Hureau lost to No. 17 Kate Turvy 7-6, 6-1. Murdy fell 6-4, 5-7, 6-1, Vertesheva fell 6-2, 7-5, and Kauss fell 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

It was the last match Vertesheva would play for the cream and crimson in Bloomington.

After her grueling match concluded, her whole team mobbed her with hugs. The first one was Hureau, who has been Vertesheva’s teammate for three years.

“I’ve had a wonderful time here at IU,” Vertesheva said. “I’ve had wonderful support from my coaches and teammates who taught me a lot of things, and I’m very thankful to everyone who supported me throughout my years at college.”

Vertesheva will be missed by her coach, who said he always admired the way she never complained.

“Genya has spent her whole career here either at one or two singles, so that’s irreplaceable,” Loring said. “She’s been a star in the classroom, she’s got a 3.7 or 3.8 in economics, and she’s total low maintenance, she never needs anything, never wants anything, she’s just a coach’s dream.”