In the midst of Big Ten conference play, Indiana men’s tennis had dropped four-straight games to Boise State University, the University of Memphis, UCLA, and USC. While the first two losses were not in Big Ten play, the losses against UCLA and USC pushed Indiana to an 0-2 record in the Big Ten.
Now, Indiana came home to face Northwestern on Friday night to open a two-game weekend slate with a chance to snap their four-game losing streak.
After a long break coupled with a two-game road trip, being back home for the first time in three weeks could’ve been the spark that the Hoosiers needed to get back on track.
However, that was not the case. Despite the renewed energy from their home fans, the Hoosiers fell against the Wildcats.
Indiana sported a record of 9-4 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play heading into the affair Friday night. On the other side of the court, Northwestern was 8-8 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Hoosiers held a record of 8-1 at home while the Wildcats had yet to win a road match this year.
With the odds in Indiana’s favor, it was important to get off to a quick start in doubles play — a formula that worked for the Hoosiers when they won their first nine matches earlier in the year.
Indiana’s pairing of junior Jip van Assendelft and sophomore Ben Pomeranets kicked off play in electrifying style.
Van Assendelft and Pomeranets took the victory for the Cream and Crimson on court No. 1 by a score of 6-2 over Northwestern graduate student Saiprakash Goli and sophomore Greyson Casey.
The fast-paced victory on No. 1 gave the Hoosiers some early momentum, but that momentum didn’t stay on their side for long.
With Indiana needing only one victory on the other two remaining courts, it struggled. Northwestern’s duo of senior Felix Nordby and junior Chad Miller triumphed over Indiana’s junior Sam Scherer and freshman Matteo Antonescu 6-3 on No. 2.
Now, the doubles point came down to the outcome on court No. 3. With Indiana desperately needing to seize the doubles point, it failed to do so.
The Wildcats won 6-4 on No. 3 guided by senior Max Bengtsson and first-year Vincent Yang. Indiana’s freshmen Karan Raghavendra and Braeden Gelletich came up short.
With the win by the visitors, Northwestern had the lead 1-0 overall.
Despite the gut-wrenching loss in doubles play, Indiana turned its focus to singles play — an area in which it struggled in its West Coast trip. Against UCLA and USC, the Hoosiers had only one singles point in two matches.
Even though they fell short of the doubles point in this match, they were able to secure a couple of victories in singles play to keep the match within reach.
Yet Indiana kicked off singles play in poor fashion. Northwestern’s Nordby defeated Indiana’s van Assendelft 6-1, 6-1 in both sets on court No. 2. Nordby’s victory stretched the visitors’ lead to 2-0 in the match.
The Hoosiers looked to respond, and they did. Indiana’s Raghavendra dominated sophomore Jackson Caldwell 6-1, 6-2. Raghvendra's victory on No. 6 cut Northwestern’s lead to 2-1.
But ultimately, Indiana was unable to capitalize. It went on to lose on court No. 5 in two sets. Now facing match point, the Hoosiers had to keep fighting.
Northwestern pulled out the victory on court No. 1. Goli defeated Indiana junior Deacon Thomas 6-2, 7-6 (9-7) in an especially hard-fought final set. The victory on No. 1 gave Northwestern the 4-1 advantage, which sealed the match.
While a fifth straight loss was certainly not ideal, Indiana had the opportunity to bounce back Sunday afternoon when it hosted Illinois.
On paper, this matchup appeared to be tough for Indiana. Heading into Sunday’s match, Illinois was ranked No. 20 in the country and held a record of 8-5 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play. Illinois faced five ranked opponents earlier in the year.
The match kicked off similar to Friday’s. Indiana came out slow in doubles play — which plagued the Hoosiers throughout their losing streak.
Illinois beat out Indiana 6-3 on both courts No. 1 and No. 2 to kick off doubles play. In a fast-paced manner, Indiana found itself down 1-0 early in the match.
In desperate need of an answer, Illinois kept applying pressure on Indiana. Illinois redshirt freshman Zach Viiala defeated Raghavendra 6-2, 6-1 on court No. 5. Vialla’s win stretched the Fighting Illini’s lead to 2-0.
But the Hoosiers followed the same game script as Friday night. Indiana’s Pomeranets proved victorious over sophomore Jeremy Zhang 6-1, 6-2 on court No. 3. Pomeranets’ win cut the visitors' lead to 2-1.
Though again, Indiana wasn’t able to keep the momentum going after the victory. The Hoosiers fell on court No. 6 as senior Mathis Debru defeated Indiana’s Antonescu 6-3, 6-3 in two sets.
Once again, Indiana faced match point. Illinois junior Kenta Miyoshi finished the job for the Fighting Illini. Miyoshi defeated Indiana’s van Assendelft 7-6, 6-1 on court No. 1 to wrap up the victory for Illinois.
With back-to-back losses on the homestand, the Hoosiers finished the weekend in dejected fashion.
Indiana has a week off before its next match at home, which is slated for 12 p.m. March 22 against Michigan State. After suffering four straight losses in Big Ten play, and six straight overall, the Cream and Crimson are in desperate need of a victory.
Follow reporter Elakai Anela (elakai_anela) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s tennis season.
