Louisville presents challenge for IU

For the second time this year, the IU men's tennis team finds itself on the rebound.\nThe first time came after an away loss against Notre Dame, after which IU came home and won two matches 7-0, failing to yield even a set to the opposition. The second time comes today, with the Hoosiers looking to avenge two weekend losses with another home match -- this time against No. 26 Louisville at the IU Tennis Center.\nAs much as the Hoosiers would love a duplication of the earlier home dominance, IU head coach Ken Hydinger expects a difficult outing.\n"Louisville's a very good team," he said. "They're good at the top and the bottom. The have an extremely competitive mentality. They're a quality team."\nLouisville has proven itself on a number of occasions this spring, with good wins against highly-ranked teams. The Cardinals have beaten Clemson, Harvard and Mississippi State, all top-30 teams, on their way to earning their own ranking. \nHowever, rankings can be deceiving, said junior John Stone.\n"In our case, the No. 70 ranking, that's not us," Stone said. "We're extremely underrated in the rankings right now. You just have to be willing to come out and play and prove otherwise."\nIU has earned a No. 70 ranking this spring by jumping out to a 2-4 record, with the team's only two wins coming at home against unranked Butler and Murray State. Despite the losses in the other matches, the Hoosiers have just been on the verge of getting those big wins, says Stone.\n"In a match like last week at Virginia, we played extremely well, so we know we can do it," he said. "Our confidence is high. We know we can win these matches."\nIn the midst of losses, the Hoosiers have nonetheless improved some aspects of their game. One focal point of improvement has been doubles play, where the Hoosiers have received quality contributions from freshmen Michael McCarthy and Dara McLoughlin at the No. 3 doubles spot.\nAnother high point for IU has been the consistently successful play of senior Jakub Praibis at the No. 1 position. Praibis, who is 5-1 on the singles season, has beaten three ranked opponents this season. He will look to defeat his fourth in Louisville's Damar Johnson.\n"(Louisville) is a different kind of a team," Praibis said. "They tend to act out on the court, and they can be distracting. We just need to keep our focus and we'll be fine."\nThe 4 p.m. match against Louisville will include the IU men's tennis team's second "Dinner with Doubles" event of this season. The $6 admission includes an all-you-can-eat Pizza Hut Buffet. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Eamonn Brennan at eabrenna@indiana.edu.