After losing at Illinois 7-0 on Sunday, IU’s weaknesses were exposed. The Hoosiers will look to make a statement in their next match. However IU Coach Jeremy Wurtzman said they can learn from Sunday’s loss.
“I think this is a good learning experience,” Wurtzman said. “I think we will be a stronger team from a match like this.”
No. 44 IU travels to Louisville, Ky., on Wednesday to play a doubleheader against Toledo and then against No. 42 Louisville. IU is 1-2 away from Bloomington and 1-0 on a neutral court this year. Though the Hoosiers’ two opponents are both from outside the Big Ten, Wurtzman does not see any additional challenge.
“I think if you look at the rankings, we are ranked very similar to (Louisville),” Wurtzman said. “All of these matches are very important to us to try to win because we want to make the NCAA Tournament.”
IU (6-2) will face Toledo (8-7) of the Mid-American Conference. Toledo is coming off a 4-0 loss to Illinois on Sunday. The Rockets are 3-6 on the road and 0-2 against nationally ranked opponents this season.
“It’s going to be a big match for them,” Wurtzman said. “They get to play a Big Ten conference team, and they definitely have some good players throughout the lineups.”
The Rockets do not feature any nationally ranked players on their roster. However Wurtzman is taking them seriously and sees a strategy in playing Toledo before Louisville.
“Toledo will be a tough matchup,” Wurtman said. “It will also give us a chance to get used to their courts as well.”
Louisville (8-2) presents a harder challenge. The Cardinals boast a 7-1 home record. To make matters worse, the team is riding a six-match win streak.
“There are definitely going to be a lot of fans there,” Wurtzman said. “They are a feisty, competitive team, and we are going to have to be ready for that.”
The only time the Cardinals lost at home was to Drake 5-2 on Jan. 18. The Cardinals are coming off a doubleheader at home Feb. 18, defeating Illinois State 6-1 and Chicago State 7-0.
“It’s going to be a challenging, tough match,” Wurtzman said. “But with our tough schedule we have played, we should be ready to go.”
