IU ready for southern rival

The IU men's tennis team gets to take a break Wednesday. \nThis break doesn't include days off, however. The Hoosiers simply get a break from Big Ten action, as they travel to Lexington, Ky., to face the Top 15-ranked Wildcats at the Boone Tennis Center.\nAnd the break from Big Ten play doesn't mean a break from tough competition.\n"It's just another really tough team we have to play," said IU coach Ken Hydinger. "It seems like we're saying the same thing every week. 'These guys are tough, we have to play well, all that.' They're an excellent team too. We're going to have to play well down there to compete."\nKentucky, 7-5, recently opened its conference season 0-2, but both losses came at the hands of fellow highly ranked teams, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.\nHowever, the Wildcats are not to be judged by their recent form, Hydinger said. \n"They're just a quality team," he said. "It's just the start of what we've got to do the rest of the year. We've got to play well every day."\nIU has not fared well against Kentucky in the history of the two teams. Kentucky owns the all-time series, 22-3, and has won five of the last six meetings. The last time the Hoosiers mustered a win against UK was in 2000, when IU defeated the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament.\n"We haven't beaten them since I've been here," said junior John Stone. "They're always really tough. It would be an upset to get a victory down there."\nThe Hoosiers are riding a wave of confidence after taking No. 3 Illinois to the brink this weekend, and then following that effort with a 7-0 victory against No. 66 Penn State.\nThe weekend featured a team effort, highlighted by the individual performance of senior Jakub Praibis. Praibis won both of his matches at the No. 1 spot, building his record to 9-2 on the spring. It will be yet another tough match for the Hoosiers this weekend, Praibis said.\n"We need to do whatever it takes to get a win," Praibis said. "They are especially really tough at home, so it will be a challenge, but everybody needs to step up and use the momentum we made this weekend."\nThe Wildcats thrive at home in part because of extremely slow courts. Different from most indoor courts, especially IU's, which are speedy, Kentucky takes advantage of being used to such a quick surface.\n"We have to adjust to the conditions," Hydinger said. "That's a big part of the game. You have to be ready to play no matter what happens or where you are."\nStone said the team is as ready as it's ever been.\n"I feel extremely confident about our team right now," he said. "We are on a roll. If we take everything we had against Penn State and Illinois, and bring it to Kentucky, we could very well come out of there with the upset."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Eamonn Brennan at eabrenna@indiana.edu.