Late comeback for IU falls short

A late resurgence and a number of close calls contributed to the Hoosiers’ loss this weekend as No. 28 IU (8-3) fell 4-3 to No. 19 Wake \nForest.\nIU’s loss marked its third to a higher-ranked opponent this season, including last week’s 4-3 loss to No. 23 Tennessee and a Jan. 27 loss to No. 8 Duke.\nIU coach Lin Loring said he was not upset about IU’s play this weekend, but hope the close losses mean a win against a tough opponent is in sight.\n“We had three match points in Sigrid’s (Fischer) match,” Loring said. “We were literally one point away from winning. Hopefully one day, one of these close plays will go our way.”\nSenior captain Brianna Williams said the team can take some solace in its defeats. \n“I think it shows we’re competitive since we lost to both (No. 23 Tennessee and No. 19 Wake Forest) teams 3-4,” William said. “I think that gives us confidence that if we just get one more point, if we just step up to one more level, we have the opportunity to beat those teams.”\nWilliams also said the team’s first road trip was a good test to see how the it would fare away from home.\n“Our first road trip is definitely hard being away from home and having a bunch of fans for the other team out there,” Williams said. “(The close score) shows that we can compete at that level on the road.”\nJunior Alba Berdala said the players are feeling confident about future matches against difficult opponents. \n“I’m not going to lie. Maybe if we won that match we’d have double confidence, but we definitely know how to compete,” Berdala said. “We just have to figure out how to take those matches against the hard teams. Now we just need to make the last step and try to beat them.”\nWilliams attributed their loss to a slow start in doubles matches.\n“I think a crucial factor in losing was that we lost the original doubles point,” Williams said. “That’s just so important to set the momentum. It makes it harder to win four of the singles matches instead of three. I think that really hurt us a lot.”\nLoring compared the match to a close basketball game. \n“This match would be the same as losing a basketball game with a three-pointer at the buzzer,” Loring said. “It’s the exact same thing, I’m not sure if you do anything different. You just hope the three-pointer doesn’t go in at the buzzer.”\nAfter losing the doubles point, the Hoosiers came back to win their next three singles matches. Berdala, freshman Charlotte Martin and sophomore Lindsey Stuckey all won their matches, putting IU \nup 3-1.\nAfter that, the Hoosiers lost control of their next three matches. Both freshman Katya Zapadalova and junior Fischer lost three-set matches while Williams lost in two sets.\nThe Hoosiers and the Demon Deacons were tied at 3-3 with Fischer and Sierra Poske locked in an intense battle. Fischer handily won the first set 6-1 but lost the second 7-6 and the third 7-5.\nThe Hoosiers also played against unranked UNC-Greensboro, winning 5-2.