Men’s tennis to play 2 ranked teams

The IU men’s tennis team has lost seven straight matches against ranked opponents. The Hoosiers play two more this weekend.

On Friday No. 65 IU (10-11, 0-3) plays No. 62 Wisconsin (9-7, 1-2) and IU faces No. 50 Minnesota (8-7, 2-1) Sunday. Both matches will be played at home.

This weekend may be the first time competitive tennis is played outdoors in Bloomington this year. The weather forecast predicts clear skies and sun shine come match time Friday and Sunday.

IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said outdoor tennis differs from indoor tennis in that the game is slower outside. There is more point construction and less first exchange, meaning the points are longer and more grueling.

Bloemendaal said this change of style might be enough to change IU’s fortunes.
“Our team is built to be able to play well outdoors,” Bloemendaal said. “That’s where postseason matches are played and we build our teams for the postseason.”

Though the team might be built for the postseason, the Hoosiers first have to reach the postseason. IU currently has zero wins against ranked opponents, the top 75, with 11 losses.

The task will not get easier this weekend, as one of IU’s top players likely will be unable to play.

Bloemendaal gave sophomore Sam Monette “close to a zero percent” chance of playing this weekend because of an elbow injury.

Monette has split time at No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions going 11-8. Monette and his double partner sophomore Daniel Bednarczyk have also split time at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles going 13-5.

If Monette is unable to play this weekend, Bloemendaal said that he will pair Bednarczyk with sophomore Chris Essick. Essick has played 13 matches at No. 3 doubles, going 6-3 with partner Stefan Lugonjic.

Bloemendaal also said the pairing of freshman Matthew McCoy and sophomore Elliott Yee will play No. 3 doubles if Monette does not play. The two have yet to play together this year in doubles.

Despite this setback, Bloemendaal still said he likes his team’s chances in both matches this weekend.

“I think we have a lot of advantages against Wisconsin,” Bloemendaal said. “I really think that they don’t have any spots on the team where they’re better than us, even when we pull out a guy.”

The Badgers are without a ranked player in singles, and without a ranked pairing in doubles.

Bloemendaal said he sees more of a challenge against Minnesota.

“They’re really good at the top,” Bloemendaal said. “They’ve performed a lot better than us at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3.”

The Gophers’ No. 1 singles player, junior Leandro Toledo, is the No. 66 singles player in the country and is 11-4 this year.

Bloemendaal said he is trying to not let his team focus on the severity of its next two matches.

“I’m trying not to think about having to win,” Bloemendaal said. “We’re getting put in must-win situations. Everyone can see that from the outside but we’re not talking about it that way. We’re talking more about wiping the slate clean, making a run in the Big Ten season and getting some confidence going.”