After dropping out of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings after not playing a match in just under three weeks, IU men's tennis is finally back on the court.
IU entered the rankings March 12 after it split its matches with No. 32 Texas Tech University, a 4-2 win, and No. 15 Illinois, a 1-6 loss.
The Hoosiers have had quite a bit of time to think about that loss, but IU Head Coach Jeremy Wurtzman saud he isn’t worried.
“It’s been a great break mentally,” Wurtzman said. “We rested our minds, but physically we really went after conditioning.”
The team’s break coincided with IU’s spring break, differing from years past where spring break included matches.
IU is back in action this weekend against Michigan State and Michigan.
On paper, Michigan State is the easier match of the weekend as it has lost 10 of its last 12 and is 6-12 overall.
However, Wurtzman doesn’t want his team looking past Michigan State, and forward to Michigan.
“You don’t want to overlook them,” Wurtzman said. “We really need to do a good job and focus in on that match.”
IU will take on No. 21 Michigan at noon Sunday in Bloomington.
The Wolverines sit at 10-5 with impressive wins over No. 18 University of Oklahoma and No. 12 University of Notre Dame.
However, Michigan comes into the weekend nursing a two-match losing streak against Penn State and Ohio State, though Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the country.
Even though Wurtzman wants his team to focus on Michigan State first, it's hard to hide the excitement for the upcoming match against Michigan.
“We can’t wait to play Michigan,” Wurtzman said. “That’s a match we get fired up for and circle on the calendar every year.”
IU will have the home court advantage, something it hasn't had against Michigan since the 2016-17 season.
“We’re looking forward to getting our shot at them,” Wurtzman said.
