Both teams came into the match on the front end of a back-to-back, with Indiana facing Michigan the next day. This seemingly favored the Hoosiers, as Michigan State was not only on the road but had to travel to West Lafayette to face Purdue on Sunday.
Yet despite being at home, Indiana struggled in doubles play again. The Spartans’ pairing of redshirt sophomore Aristotelis Thanos and junior Ozan Baris defeated Indiana juniors Jip van Assendelft and Sam Scherer 6-1 on the No. 1 court.
The visitors kept up their dominant play and stifled the Hoosiers on the No. 2 doubles court. Senior Max Sheldon and freshman Mitchell Sheldon beat out freshman Braeden Gelletich and sophomore Ben Pomeranets 6-1, granting Michigan State the doubles point.
In dire need of a turnaround, the Hoosiers fell short. Indiana junior Deacon Thomas couldn’t overcome the dominance of Michigan State’s Max Sheldon, who won 6-1, 6-1 in two quick sets on the No. 2 singles.
Things continued to go downward for Indiana as freshman Matthew Forbes prevailed over Indiana’s Pomeranets 6-4, 6-0 on the No. 3 court. Michigan State freshman Vuk Radjenovic was able to wrap things up in convincing fashion for the Spartans, defeating Gelletich 6-3, 6-4.
Michigan State would ultimately sweep the Hoosiers 4-0, as the singles play on the No. 1, 5 and 6 courts remained unfinished.
Indiana had the opportunity to snap its seven-match losing streak the next day against Michigan, which entered the match 11-6 (4-1 Big Ten). The Wolverines also held a two-game winning streak while the Hoosiers were looking to avoid their eighth straight defeat.
The match followed a similar script as the one that took place Saturday. Coming out of the gate, the Hoosiers would fell short of the doubles point.
Michigan set the tone by snagging a victory on the No. 1 doubles court 6-2. The Wolverines’ duo of senior Gavin Young and junior Bjorn Swenson defeated Scherer and Pomeranets.
During this match, the Hoosiers made a slight change in the doubles lineup. Freshman Karan Raghavendra would pair up with Gelletich on court No. 3, taking the place of Pomeranets, but the duo lost 6-3 to juniors Mert Oral and Nicholas Steiglehner.
In singles play, things remained grim for Indiana.
The Hoosiers dropped the first match of singles play on the No. 1 court. Michigan senior Will Cooksey defeated Thomas 6-3, 6-1.
Michigan’s Oral continued to carry the momentum that the visitors had, emerging victorious over freshman Matteo Antonescu 6-4, 6-1 on the No. 6 court.
To add to the increasing deficit, things continued to spiral for the Hoosiers. Michigan junior Nicholas Steiglehner won 6-3, 6-3 on the No. 4 court, propelling Michigan to a 3-0 lead.
Now, only a point away from victory, the Cream and Crimson were looking at their eighth straight loss.
The Hoosiers would fight this time, at least briefly. Pomeranets defeated senior Patorn Hanchaikul on the No. 2 singles court.
The final score of the match was in Pomeranets’ favor, as he won 6-1, 2-6, 10-8. However, Michigan was able to put the matchup away. Sophomore Alex Cairo defeated Scherer 6-3, 6-4 on the No. 5 singles court to secure the win.
Further adding to the margin of victory, Swenson beat out Gelletich on the No. 3 court, while Steiglhener defeated Raghavendra on No. 4.
Although the Hoosiers were able to avoid a second straight sweep, they would still fall 6-1 at home.
With the loss, Indiana now sits at 9-8 (0-6 Big Ten). Indiana will look to regroup quickly as they start a three-game road trip. The road trip kicks off in Madison, Wisconsin, where the Hoosiers will face off against Wisconsin at 5 p.m. Friday at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
Follow reporter Elakai Anela (elakai_anela) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s tennis season.
