IU set to have a ‘brawl’ with Minnesota, Iowa at home

This weekend, the No. 68 IU men’s tennis team (10-6) resumes its Big Ten campaign, three weeks removed from a 7-0 loss in its conference opener at Ohio State. \nThe Hoosiers will host No. 23 Minnesota (11-3) at noon Saturday, followed by Iowa (7-3) at noon Sunday.\n“If you’re not ready to brawl, you’re going to get it handed to you,” IU coach Ken Hydinger said of Big Ten conference matches. “We’d like to play this weekend and be 2-1. That’s the plan anyway.” \nLast season, IU upset then-No. 38 Minnesota, ending a 13-match losing streak against the Golden Gophers and also marking just its second win against them in 28 tries since April 1988.\nLooking for another upset, the Hoosiers will have to beat a Minnesota team that is 5-3 against ranked opponents and 1-0 in conference play. On Feb. 17, the Gophers snuck by Big Ten bottom-dweller Michigan State, 4-3. \nIowa, the only Big Ten squad yet to play a conference match, will be at No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday before coming to Bloomington. The Hawkeyes, whom Hydinger alluded to as having one of their better teams in recent years, are entering this weekend on a three-match winning streak. \nThe Hoosiers are coming off of wins against No. 57 Furman and Wofford and looking to continue their winning streak into Big Ten play. One of the best players of late has been junior Thomas Richter, who not only has played well with junior Dara McLoughlin at doubles, but also stepped his singles play up during spring break.\nPlaying No. 3, Richter lost to his opponent from No. 20 Clemson but upset the nation’s 27th-ranked player from South Alabama, 6-3, 6-1. Moving up a spot to No. 2, Richter recorded a win against Furman and then won a three-set match at No. 1 against Wofford. \n“I felt better singles-wise,” Richter said. “We started playing outdoors, and I think my game is much better-fitted to play outdoors, and I feel much more comfortable playing outdoors, and that’s why I think I’ve had these results.”\nRichter’s recent success has him sitting at No. 103 in the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings, and although his strong play is no surprise to Hydinger, it has been a roller coaster ride to get him there.\n“He comes in (spring semester), and because he’s transferring schools he doesn’t have a place to play over Christmas,” Hydinger said. “Then … he’s playing inside, it’s dark. They check his eyes, he’s 20-50 vision (and it) takes a while to get contacts. Then he misses three weeks of school (to be) with his dad.”\nAside from Richter missing four matches, Hydinger has had to shake up the lineup a lot anyway due to injuries. Junior Mike McCarthy is currently nursing a hurt shoulder, while senior Arnaud Roussel is recovering from an ankle sprain. \n“I will be a hundred percent this weekend,” Roussel said.\nMcCarthy, meanwhile, said that he will likely sit out this weekend’s matches.\nIt has been seven matches since the Hoosiers had their full lineup available. Even then, No. 1 singles player senior David Bubenicek was recovering from a wrist injury.