The weekend got off to a great start for IU as it swept Michigan State on Saturday afternoon, 7-0, to move to 3-1 in the Big Ten and 9-7 overall.
This victory put IU at 8-2 in the IU Tennis Center in Bloomington, with its only losses coming earlier in the season against University of Central Florida and Arizona State University.
Much like against the University of Washington, IU got off to a hot start and cruised for the rest of the day after winning both doubles matches.
While the win was impressive, Michigan State has struggled this season, only winning two of its past 13 matches. The loss puts MSU at 6-13 on the season and last in the Big Ten standings.
One of the stars all season has been senior Antonio Cembellin, who improved to 9-3 on the season with his win over Ivan Rakic of MSU.
Cembellin has been IU’s ace all year, and he looked to continue his success Sunday against one of the best teams in the Big Ten, No. 21 Michigan.
Sunday didn’t go as well for the Hoosiers, as they got off to a rough start and losing the first doubles match. The team thus trailed Michigan 1-0.
IU tied up the match at 1-1 after Cembellin’s win, but Michigan won the next two matches to take a commanding lead before ultimately closing it out.
The Wolverines ultimately beat the Hoosiers 5-2, but the final score doesn't indicate how close some of the individual matches were.
“They come in every match and give their ultimate effort,” IU Head Coach Jeremy Wurtzman said. “The match came down to a few points on a lot of courts, that’s what made the difference.”
The loss keeps IU barely above .500 at 9-8.
IU heads on the road next weekend for a pair of matches for the first time in over a month, as it will face Wisconsin and No. 35 Minnesota on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
