Indiana women’s tennis stretched its losing skid to five after a second consecutive winless weekend in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Hoosiers lost 4-0 to Kansas State University on Saturday and 4-1 to the University of Alabama on Sunday.
Following a 1-1 split in the doubles matches against Kansas State, Indiana's Sarah L’allier and Elisabeth Dunac were tasked with winning the No. 3 match and obtaining the doubles point. Although the match was the closest of the three, the freshmen duo fell 7-5, giving Kansas State the 1-0 lead.
The Hoosiers continued to unravel in the singles matches. Dunac’s perfect 6-0 singles record received its first blemish following a 6-2, 6-4 defeat. Graduate student Lene Mari Hovda was the second Hoosier to fall, losing 6-2, 6-3 to freshman Maralgoo Chogsomjav.
Redshirt junior Lara Schneider matched up against Indiana’s first ranked opponent of the year — No. 92 sophomore Vanesa Suarez — and lost in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. The defeat gave Kansas State the decisive fourth point as it vanquished the Hoosiers 4-0.
Indiana went up against Alabama in the second match of the weekend, and once again, little went right for the Hoosiers. No. 2 doubles partners Schneider and freshman Li Hsin Lin were routed 6-2, and the No. 3 doubles pair of Dunac and L’allier lost by the same scoreline. The defeats marked the fifth consecutive match Indiana has failed to capture the doubles point.
The singles matches were much the same as the doubles matches. Alabama never relinquished its 1-0 lead as Indiana suffered defeats on the No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 courts, resulting in a 4-1 loss to the Crimson Tide. Schneider was the only Hoosier to win her match, dominating No. 50 junior Petra Sedlackova 6-0, 6-4.
The last few weeks have been anything but pleasant for Indiana as its encouraging 4-0 start quickly turned into a 4-5 nightmare. The Hoosiers will have a chance to return to form with four matches in the next two weeks, including three matches in three days this weekend.
Indiana’s first weekend match is against the University of Memphis (5-3) at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in Bloomington.
Follow reporter Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates through the Indiana women’s tennis season.
