No rest for tested Hoosiers Sunday

After a drawn-out 4-3 victory over Kentucky last Saturday, the No. 26 IU women’s tennis team is hoping for an easier time this weekend against unranked Marquette and Morehead State. Unlike Saturday’s match, both opponents possess losing records (1-4 and 1-5, respectively), but the Hoosiers said they are not underestimating either of them.\nFreshman Myriam Sopel said their opponents may not seem like a challenge, but the team won’t let down its guard easily.\n“I don’t think we’re going to be so relaxed,” Sopel said. “We’ve been working so hard the past few days. We will not be chilling like some people think because we have a winning record. We’re going to keep working hard and act like it was the No. 1 team in the nation.”\nJunior Sigrid Fischer said the two matches will help the team’s mental strength. She said one of the keys to winning on Sunday is keeping their attention on the task at hand.\n“We have to focus,” Fischer said. “Sometimes if you think the team is not as strong, they might have strong freshmen. They come in really motivated. They obviously want to beat us so it’s no time to relax. We have to go out and play and beat them first before we can say they’re a weak team.”\nIU coach Lin Loring was also wary regarding this weekend’s opponents. Loring said injuries have hurt Marquette this season, and he is unsure about what kind of matchup they will pose for the Hoosiers. \nLoring also said Sunday’s tournament can offer the team more time to try out various techniques they won’t normally do.\n“We’ve been working a lot of stuff on doubles and individuals,” he said. “We’ll definitely, if it does turn out to be a little weaker, we’ll definitely use the experience. We’ll wait and make sure the matches are winnable before we experiment.”\nSenior Brianna Williams said these two matches will allow the Hoosiers to practice some new moves.\n“It’s definitely a time we can work on a bunch of things, especially with doubles,” Williams said. “I think these matches will definitely prepare us for working on more things so we can get ready for the harder upcoming matches.”\nAnd after Sunday’s matches, the Hoosiers have to start thinking about two tough opponents coming up on the schedule – No. 19 Wake Forest and No. 21 Tennessee. \nIU’s win over Kentucky this past weekend is still fresh in the players’ minds. Fischer said the win allowed the team’s freshmen to see a close match early on in the season, while Williams said their win proved to the team that their ranking is no fluke.\n“(The win) was great to motivate everybody and to show that we really are in the top and can compete at that level,” she said.\nIU will play Marquette at 10 a.m. and Morehead State at 3 p.m. Both matches will be held at the IU Tennis Center.