Tennis duo gets the job done

Junior Karie Schlukebir and sophomore Linda Tran have been tearing through the competition this year with an 11-1 record in doubles for the IU women's tennis team. This is no surprise for the duo that went 8-1 in Big Ten play last season.\n"They're off to a really good start this year," coach Lin Loring said. "They're doing the little things better. Their serves have been better. Their returns have been better. They've always communicated well together."\nThe reason for this great communication is an eight year friendship, which the two developed through living only 45 minutes away from each other in Michigan. \n"We always used to play and practice together," Schlukebir said. "I'd drive to Grand Rapids. She'd drive to Kalamazoo."\nIn addition to living close to each other, they also traveled often together, going to various tennis camps across the country.\nThe two 14-year-olds got completely lost walking around New York City, and bonded waiting at the bus stop at the World Trade Center hoping to find Schlukebir's father.\n"She was crying, I was eating popcorn," said Tran, who found an interesting way to relieve stress. Fortunately, they soon found Schlukebir's father, who was lucky to see them in the middle of so many people.\nTran thinks their years of friendship helps on the court.\n"We're just comfortable playing with each other," Tran said. "We know how to react to the next shot because we know where the ball is going."\nSchlukebir agrees.\n"I think it helps that we know each other so well," she said. "We can say whatever we want to each other, and we know we won't offend the other person."\nLoring likes their chemistry on the court.\n"If you put them with other people, they probably wouldn't be nearly as effective," he said. "It's one case where the whole is greater than the parts, where one plus one equals three."\nHe also thinks their personality has a big part in their success.\n"They both have real good senses of humor," he said. "They bring that out in each other. If one of them isn't doing well, the other will make them laugh"