The marquee matchups this weekend for the Hoosiers will be played on the position one doubles court. IU senior Kim Schmider and sophomore Madison Appel will compete against Notre Dame’s No. 32-ranked doubles pair and Kentucky’s No. 1-ranked doubles pair.
Schmider and Appel are currently unranked but have a 19-2 record since September 2016.
“Kim and Madison are very excited to play against the number one team in the country,” IU coach Ramiro Azcui said. “We have seen them play, we know what they do, and they are a very good team, which is why they are number one obviously.”
The Wildcats’ top-ranked duo is made up of junior Mami Adachi and senior Aldila Sutjiadi, while the Fighting Irish number one doubles pair includes senior Monica Robinson and junior Brooke Broda.
The last match Schmider and Appel played against Tennessee went unfinished because IU’s No. 2 and 3 spots lost before they could finish. Azcui said he hopes their matches this weekend are able to be played out.
“It can’t get any better than this,” Azcui said. “Our goal for this year is try and give them the opportunity to finish their matches because they have a lot of potential.”
Aside from the No. 1 doubles spot, Kentucky’s No. 2 and 3 doubles teams are also ranked within the top 60. Senior Paula Gutierrez said it will be important for the Hoosiers to start their matches by getting the doubles point.
IU is coming off a 5-0 road loss to Tennessee but will play both of these matches at home. IU will see Notre Dame first and will play them Saturday inside the Varsity Tennis Center. Against Kentucky on Sunday, IU will have its first outdoor match of the season.
“I think we have a better chance to beat Kentucky outside,” Gutierrez said. “Playing doubles outside will be easier because we can keep two back and lob the ball and get them to go chase it.”
Gutierrez also said the team is looking to be more consistent and have more energy for this weekend’s match, something that she said lacked against Tennessee.
Each week, IU has had different themes for their practices on what they think their upcoming opponent will bring to the table.
“It’s been a little more of x’s and o’s,” Azcui said of this week. “We’ve been particularly getting ready for Notre Dame, and we know what they are going to do so everyday we are trying to prepare ourselves for that.”
The Hoosiers will play the Fighting Irish and Wildcats at 11 a.m. each day.
“Playing Notre Dame first will give us a great chance to get ready for Kentucky,” Azcui said. “We are just focusing on one match at a time and are excited for the opportunity this weekend.”
