Hoosiers lose 4-2 to No. 21 Michigan

Regardless of a familiar result, the Hoosiers performed at a higher level this weekend against No. 21 Michigan than they did in the past. \nLess than a week after losing 7-0 to the Wolverines, No. 30 IU was once again knocked out 4-2 by its conference rival in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships\nThe match began with strong doubles play from IU. After junior Sigrid Fischer and freshman Myriam Sopel lost the first match 8-1, IU’s other two pairs won both of their matches and captured the doubles point for the Hoosiers. All-Big Ten team member junior Alba Berdala and sophomore Lindsey Stuckey evened up the match by defeating Michigan 8-5, before senior Brianna Williams and freshman Katya Zapadalova narrowly finished off the Wolverines 9-8 (7-1).\nHowever, Michigan quickly came back 2-1 after Stuckey and Berdala each lost their singles matches. Williams defeated the Wolverine’s Lindsey Howard 7-5, 6-0 to tie up the match 2-2.\nSoon after that, the match turned downhill. Freshman Charlotte Martin lost a three-set match 2-6, 6-1, 6-0, which put the Wolverines up 3-2. Fischer then lost a 6-4, 6-4 decision, ending the match and sealing the win for Michigan.\nIU coach Lin Loring, who has won the Big Ten Tournament 16 times, said he was proud of the way the Hoosiers competed against Michigan after their loss last week.\n“It was a huge difference,” Loring said. “It was a great college match. It could have gone either way. Even though we lost, it was fun match.”\nDespite the loss, Williams was glad the Big Ten Tournament gave the Hoosiers another crack at the Wolverines.\n“I think we just performed as a team a lot better,” Williams said. “We came fired up and ready to go. We had the camaraderie and the right mind-set.”\nThe first round of play came easier for the Hoosiers, who defeated 11-seed Wisconsin 4-0. The Hoosiers came out strong in the beginning. Berdala and Stuckey teamed up to win 8-5 before Williams and Zapadalova closed out the doubles point with an 8-4 victory. \nWilliams was also triumphant in her singles match, handily defeating Wisconsin’s Erin Jobe 6-0, 6-0. Fischer closed out Chelsea Nusslock 6-4, 7-5, putting the Hoosiers one win away from victory.\nZapadalova came through big for IU in narrowly defeating Jessica Seyferth 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 to clinch the match for the Hoosiers. \nWinning both doubles points over the weekend was a satisfying accomplishment for the Hoosiers, who struggled with the doubles early in the year.\n“I’m really pleased with how we ended up with the doubles,” Loring said. “We came a long, long way. The Big Ten Tournament is always tough because we’ve always got final exams. The girls handled everything really well. For so many of them it was the first time they’ve had to go through the pressure of finals while they’re competing.”\nHowever, the tournament won’t be the Hoosiers’ swan song. IU will compete in the NCAA Championships in May. Berdala said the team will enter the tournament with an optimistic outlook.\n“I think the most important thing about this weekend was we saw we can be competitive with Michigan,” Berdala said. “We’re going with a positive attitude to the NCAAs.”