The IU women's tennis lineup was out of sorts Jan. 26 due to senior Madison Appel being sick.
Everyone moved up a spot in singles without their No. 1 player, but doubles is where things got dire. IU Head Coach Ramiro Azcui rolled out a few new doubles combinations in hope of a spark.
Instead, IU dropped both doubles points to University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. The Hoosiers came out at 1-1 last weekend, but this week they’ll get three chances to see their healthiest lineup play together.
“I’m hoping by Saturday everybody’s going to be ready at full go,” Azcui said. “We’ve been adjusting every day and I’m hoping that the worst has gone through, and we’re ready to get going for the weekend.”
The weekend of play begins at 11 a.m. February 2 at the IU Tennis Center with a match against Western Michigan University. The Hoosiers have defeated the Broncos 5-2 or better the last seven consecutive seasons.
Western Michigan has quickly won four matches this season, but a 7-0 loss to University of Notre Dame remains the lone blemish on their schedule.
“Because of the fact that we just lost to Xavier, I think Western Michigan is going to come with a lot more confidence and come in here with nothing to lose,” Azcui said. “They have always given us a good fight, so I’m not expecting anything less from them.”
IU will get a much needed break until 11 a.m. Sunday when it faces off against Marquette University.
“I think it’ll be beneficial for us just because we have one tough match Saturday and then two on Sunday,” senior Natalie Whalen said. “We’ll be able to recover a little better because we’re more concerned about Marquette than we are Butler."
The Hoosiers saw the Golden Eagles at the Indiana Winter Invitational just two weeks ago. Head-to-head at the invitational, IU held a 5-1 advantage over Marquette. The Golden Eagles have not dropped a set through two regular season matches, picking up a pair of sweeps last weekend.
Butler University has struggled early on this season. The Bulldogs have already fallen in four matches but have two wins to their name from matches against in-state competition Marian University and Valparaiso University.
The Bulldogs have a history of getting swept by a score of 7-0 when they test the Hoosiers. IU will have an opportunity to add to that history at 5 p.m. Feb. 3 when it goes up against Butler to close out its three-match weekend.
Azcui was quick to note the team would at least be a little tired, but he said the team’s success would ultimately come down to recovery and preparation, both mental and physical.
