No. 28 Hoosiers net two wins over weekend

With the memories of two tough losses still in their heads, the Hoosiers defeated No. 57 DePaul 5-2 and unranked Xavier 7-0 Saturday.\nAfter their recent struggles with doubles, the No. 28 Hoosiers (10-3) switched up their pairings for the two weekend matches. Senior Brianna Williams teamed with freshman Katya Zapadalova against DePaul to win 8-3. Williams played with sophomore Lindsey Stuckey against Xavier, and won 8-3.\nIn a break from their usual pairings, senior Alba Berdala and Stuckey paired against DePaul, while freshman Myriam Sopel and junior Sigrid Fischer played together against both teams. Making up the third doubles pair against Xavier were junior Stephanie Heller and freshman Maria Guerreiro.\nWilliams said the importance of the two wins was not lost on the team as they begin conference play.\n“These two wins were really important, especially since we are about to start our Big Ten season,” Williams said. “I think the momentum will carry over to this upcoming weekend against Ohio.”\nSopel said the two wins not only improved IU’s record, but also boosted the team’s confidence heading into the difficult conference portion of its schedule.\n“We won both of our matches Saturday, which represents a good accomplishment and made us gain some confidence,” Sopel said. “We are going to approach the next match with more confidence since we know what our strengths are and what we need to keep working on.”\nWilliams said adjusting to different doubles combinations provided a challenge, one the Hoosiers are ready to face and hope will improve their doubles record.\n“Once you play with someone for a while, you get used to their game,” Williams said. “I think that it was good, though, that we mixed up the doubles. We are just trying to find the most effective teams possible.”\nFischer said switching up the doubles pairs did not affect her mindset.\n“It did not really make a difference to me. They are both great players,” Fischer said of Sopel and Stuckey.\nSopel said the two matches provided a good experience for the team, which it’ll carry over into future competitions. Even though the team practiced with different pairs during the week, it was good for players to compete in real matches.\n“This weekend was our last doubleheader of the season,” Sopel said. “To be able to compete against two different teams of different levels made us work a lot on our new doubles combinations, and trying new game strategies with our partner.”\nThe Hoosiers will practice this week before setting out on next week’s road trip to No. 45 Ohio State.