IU womens tennis team excited for home tournament

After an excellent showing at the Deacon Classic two weeks ago, the IU women’s tennis team is geared up for the Hoosier Classic, which takes place this weekend at the Varsity Tennis Center.\nBoth IU coach Lin Loring and the players are looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd. Senior Brianna Williams and freshman Charlotte Martin both said they are excited to compete in front of their parents, friends and fellow students.\n“I think it’s a real advantage to be at home, on the home courts you’re used to practicing on, and not having to travel and be tired from stays at hotels and flying,” Williams said. \nFor Martin, who hails from England, the tournament doesn’t quite feel like it does for many of the other players.\n“I don’t know enough people to call it a home crowd, but it’ll be nice to have familiarity of the courts,” Martin said.\nMartin said playing tennis and going to school in the U.S. is different from playing in England.\n“All the setup of the school is very different,” Martin said. “That’s taken a bit of getting used to. I’m enjoying it so far, and it’s nice to finally be playing a couple of tournaments because training and tournaments are so different.” \nWith one tournament under their belts, the Hoosiers have been concentrating on improving since their last tournament, especially in doubles. \n“We’ve been playing a lot of doubles. (We will) probably try a few different combinations,” Loring said.\nLoring said he is looking forward to seeing how IU compares and competes against the other teams. \n“We’ve got some really good competition. The quantity will be better than the last tournament,” Loring said. “The players will be as good, but there will be more of them. The depth will be better at this tournament.”\nThe tournament, starting Friday, will include Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa, Illinois, Georgia and Western Michigan. \nAs the team’s only senior, Williams has confidence in her teammates. \n“It’s been good (being the only senior),” Williams said. “They’ve been really good about listening, about being supportive. It’s been fun to have more responsibility. It’s been a totally different perspective from any other year. Especially being a management major, it kind of helps me with my major a little bit, learning how to work with people and organize. It’s been good.”\nWith any luck, William’s confidence in her teammates will pay off this weekend.