Hoosiers begin Big Ten schedule

After starting the spring season with a 10-3 record, the IU women’s tennis team kicks off its Big Ten schedule with a dual match Saturday against No. 21 Purdue in West Lafayette. The Hoosiers are riding a two-match win streak after defeating No. 66 DePaul and UNC-Wilmington last weekend.

The Boilermakers are 6-1 this season with four wins against ranked opponents.

Purdue defeated No. 32 Washington State, No. 19 Notre Dame, No. 45 Kansas State and No. 65 Wichita State in dual matches.

In addition to Notre Dame, IU and Purdue have one other common opponent. Both teams defeated Marshall 6-1 in February in Huntington, W. Va. Purdue’s lone loss was a 4-3 match against No. 14 Northwestern.

Despite being ranked fourteenth as a team in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, Purdue does not have a ranked singles player or doubles combination.

IU’s pair of French players, senior Leslie Hureau and junior Sophie Garre, is ranked No. 44.

According to IUHoosiers.com, IU has a 53-5 all-time record against Purdue, but the Hoosiers have lost the past two matches against the Boilermakers.

In the 2011-12 season, IU tied for seventh with a 4-7 conference record, and Purdue placed fifth with a 6-5 record in the Big Ten.

In last spring’s Big Ten Women’s Tennis Tournament, IU, the No. 7 seed, defeated No. 10 Wisconsin 4-0 before falling to No. 2 Michigan 4-2 in the quarterfinals. No. 5 Purdue topped No. 12 Michigan State, No. 4 Nebraska and No. 1  Northwestern before upsetting Michigan 4-3 in the Big Ten Championship, which was the first time the Boilermakers have won the championship. 

The in-state rivals will face off 11 a.m. Saturday at the Schwartz Tennis Center.

— Andy Wittry