IU takes road trip with national ranking implications

Coming off its second big upset of the season, IU (5-2) takes its show on the road as the team looks to add two more tallies to the win column. This weekend, standing in its path to national prominence are the Marquette Golden Eagles and in-state rival Notre Dame.\nStill energized after their 5-2 win over No. 12 Kentucky, the Hoosiers depart Bloomington today excited and ready for their next challenge. While Marquette is not ranked as highly as the Fighting Irish, both matches are expected to be highly competitive, as IU looks to finish out its pre-conference schedule with as much momentum as possible.\nAnd momentum is exactly what IU has to its advantage following a total team victory against the arch-rival Wildcats to the south. The Hoosiers had lost nine straight matches to Kentucky, with their last win coming in the 1992-93 season.\n"We knew we could beat them," senior Karie Schlukebir said. "We knew we would be competitive and have a shot at winning every position. So everyone went back out there and got the job done."\nAgainst Marquette, the Hoosiers will focus on several aspects of the game in preparation for what could be their toughest road test of the season in South Bend. Following two weekends of close doubles play, the Hoosiers are focused on starting out the match by capturing the doubles point instead of looking ahead to singles and starting the afternoon from behind. \nIU controls the Marquette series with an 8-1 record and a five-match win streak. But the Hoosiers certainly aren't looking past the Golden Eagles.\n"I think playing Kentucky last weekend will help us take on Notre Dame," Schklukebir said. "But playing Marquette will certainly help, too. We'll have the chance to work on some things before we play Notre Dame. If one of us has a bad day against Marquette, we have the time to correct our mistakes before hitting against (Notre Dame)."\nNo. 12 Notre Dame poses the biggest threat to IU, as this is the highest ranked team IU has faced on the road thus far. The Fighting Irish are 6-1 this spring, with their only loss at the hands of No. 19 Michigan. In Notre Dame's last match, the Irish took a 6-1 victory over another top-25 team in Brigham Young University.\n"Our upsets so far, we've had nothing to lose," Tran said of matching up against another top-ranked opponent. "We just came out with a positive attitude, and we were ready to match their energy and came out strong. We're going to have to do the same this weekend if we want to beat Notre Dame."\nEven though the match against Notre Dame is a non-conference match-up, Loring's squad is looking at this match as a major rivalry game. \n"I think it's always a disappointment when you lose to Notre Dame," Schlukebir said. "The in-state rival makes it that much more important."\nThe action begins at 10:30 a.m.Saturday in Milwaukee and again at 10 a.m. Sunday in South Bend.\n-- Contact staff writer Jeff Fuldauer at jfuldaue@indiana.edu.