Indiana men’s tennis wrapped up its regular season slate of games with a loss on the road to Ohio State but responded with a much-needed win over Penn State this weekend.
The first matchup for the Hoosiers was against Ohio State on Friday night in Columbus, Ohio. After a 9-0 start to the year, the Cream and Crimson have struggled mightily in conference play. Indiana came into the match on a four-game losing streak with a record of 10-12 (1-10 Big Ten).
On the flip side, Ohio State was ranked No. 4 in the latest national poll for men’s tennis. The Buckeyes sported an impressive 22-2 record (11-0) while remaining undefeated in conference play.
Doubles play kicked off the match, where Ohio State cruised to the first point of the match. The Hoosiers struggled to counter the double pairings Ohio State threw out, which plagued Indiana throughout its conference losing streak.
Ohio State’s duo of sophomore Aidan Kim and junior Will Jansen defeated junior Jip van Assendelft and graduate student Michael Andre 6-3 on the No. 1 court.
Ultimately, the Buckeyes closed the page on doubles play by securing the first point of the match on the No. 2 court. Redshirt freshman Brandon Carpico and freshman Nikita Filin beat junior Sam Scherer and freshman Matteo Antonescu 6-2.
Facing a 1-0 deficit moving into singles play, Indiana had a chance to respond but didn’t execute.
Ohio State quickly took a 2-0 lead in the match, as Jansen defeated Indiana sophomore Ben Pomeranets 6-1, 6-2 on the No. 3 singles court.
The Buckeyes continued to apply the pressure onto the visiting Hoosiers. Ohio State junior Jack Anthrop, who was one of the players to watch heading into the year along with Indiana redshirt sophomore Facundo Yunis, dominated freshman Braeden Gelletich 6-3, 6-0 on the No. 4 singles court.
Ohio State closed out the fast-paced match with another effortless victory on the No. 5 singles court. Senior Chris Li defeated Indiana freshman Karan Raghavendra 6-3, 6-0 to give the Buckeyes the victory.
The penultimate match of the regular season for the Hoosiers was an uneventful one, but the road trip wasn’t over yet. Indiana had a day off to travel to University Park, Pennsylvania, to face off against Penn State in the final match of the regular season.
The Nittany Lions entered Sunday’s match with a record of 12-14 (0-12 Big Ten) and on a three-game losing streak, but they were 11-5 at home.
The Hoosiers kicked off the match with a couple of convincing wins in doubles play to get the first point of the match in their favor.
Indiana’s pairing of Gelletich and Pomeranets gave the Cream and Crimson the first point of doubles play. Indiana’s duo defeated freshman Shrikeshav Murugesan and Reiya Hattori 6-0 on the No. 3 doubles court.
The doubles point was won by Indiana with a victory on the No. 2 doubles court. Antonescu and Andre cruised past senior Charl Morgan and sophomore Marcus Schoeman 6-1 to give the Hoosiers the lead in the match.
With all eyes turning to singles play, Indiana kicked that portion of the match on the wrong foot.
Penn State senior Loren Byers defeated junior Deacon Thomas on the No. 1 singles court 6-3, 6-4 to tie the match at 1 apiece.
However, Gelletich and the Hoosiers fought back with a win on the No. 5 court. The Goshen, New York, native proved to be victorious over the Nittany Lions’ Hattori 6-3, 6-4.
With the Cream and Crimson up 2-1 in the match, Indiana’s van Assendelft won a hard-fought game to push Indiana within a point of an essential victory. Van Assendelft defeated Morgan 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on the No. 2 singles court.
Pomeranets eventually gave the Hoosiers the victory. The sophomore defeated Penn State graduate student Sam Bossem 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 on the No. 3 singles court.
With the win, Indiana snapped the five-game losing streak it held coming into the match. The Cream and Crimson closed out the regular season with a record of 11-13 (2-11 Big Ten).
Indiana’s next match is April 23 in the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus, Ohio. The opponent and time have yet to be announced.
Follow reporter Elakai Anela (elakai_anela) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s tennis season.
