IU back in action after break

The IU men's tennis team ends a month-long layoff today when it takes part in the Hoosier Invitational and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Midwest Regional Championship, hosted by Minnesota. The Hoosiers host the Hoosier Invitational this weekend and send three players to the Midwest Regional Championship starting today and ending Oct. 24.\n"Our guys are ready to play," IU coach Ken Hydinger said. "We made improvements, and now we just need to try to put together what we've been working on."\nThe Hoosiers have been out of action since the Cincinnati Invitational Sept. 22-24 in which senior David Bubenicek (3-1) and sophomore Mak Kendall (3-0) led the team with three singles wins each. Hydinger said keying in on the basics will be the Hoosiers' method for dealing with such a long layoff.\n"You're not in the same routine as when you're playing every week," Hydinger said. "We have to focus on fundamentals and the process and just let the results happen."\nOne positive that came from the layoff was that it gave the Hoosiers time to work on their conditioning, something Bubenicek said will come in handy in the Hoosiers' two tournaments this weekend.\n"We are definitely stronger then we were," Bubenicek said. "We have an advantage because later in the tournaments, the other players will be tired."\nThe Cincinnati Invitational was an early season measuring stick for the Hoosiers and it gave them a chance to see what they needed to work on. Hydinger said the Hoosiers focused on securing their own game early on in upcoming matches.\n"We worked on being more definitive and taking control of the matches," Hydinger said. "We want to establish our pattern and play our game."\nThe Hoosiers send Bubenicek, along with juniors Dara McLoughlin and Michael McCarthy to the Midwest Regional Championship. The trio has the opportunity to represent the Hoosiers as it goes up against some of the top talent in the country.\n"I want to do really well for IU and to qualify for nationals," Bubenicek said. "I really believe we can do well, and I think we can win it."\nWhile the trio represents IU at the Midwest championship, sophomores Kendall and Peter Antons, as well as freshman Paul Boskovich and senior Arnaud Roussel have a chance to defend their own courts at the Hoosier Invitational. The Hoosiers will face competition from the University of Louisville, Purdue, the University of Dayton, Wisconsin and Western Kentucky University.\nThe Hoosiers already faced Louisville once this year as Antons (2-2), Boskovich (2-2) and Roussel (2-2) posted wins against Louisville opponents at the Cincinnati Invitational.\n"I'm looking to see some guys break through," Hydinger said. "I look for them to be confident and aggressive. It's a mentality and a sense of mind. It's one thing to do it in practice and another to do it in a match."\nFor the Hoosiers to have a successful weekend, Hydinger said they need to give everything they have on the courts.\n"It's about seeing a play in your mind and following the vision," he said. "Letting it go and not holding back. It's all about the aggressive mentality, relaxation and concentration."\nOr maybe IU's success comes down to two simple words from Roussel: "fighting" and "winning"