No. 23 Michigan throttles IU to close out regular season

The Hoosiers had no deja vu this weekend. Last year, the then-No. 27 Hoosiers closed out the season with a 6-1 victory over Penn State and upset then-No. 25 Michigan 5-2. \nBut that was then. \nThe Hoosiers closed out their regular season by splitting matches. No. 29 IU defeated unranked Penn State on Friday 5-2. Two days later, the team traveled to No. 23 Michigan, losing 7-0. \nCompeting against Penn State, the Hoosiers came out prepared and easily captured the doubles point, winning all three doubles matches. The victories carried over to the singles matches, where the Hoosiers captured four out of six. \nJunior Alba Berdala and freshman Myriam Sopel both won their three-set matches. Junior Sigrid Fischer and freshman Charlotte Martin also won, while sophomore Lindsey Stuckey and freshman Katya Zapadalova lost the final two matches.\nCompeting in only their fifth outdoor match of the year, the Hoosiers said they thought the weather was challenging. \n“That was a match where we felt we had to win to keep our record clean for the NCAA Tournament,” IU coach Lin Loring said. “We hadn’t played in that kind of heat yet. It was a good win that we needed to have.”\nZapadalova said the outdoor practice was necessary for the Hoosiers.\n“Those matches were really good to play outdoors to get us ready for the Big Ten (Tournament),” Zapdalova said. “I think it was really good to play more matches outdoors even if we lost (to Michigan).”\nSenior Brianna Williams competed in the doubles match but sat out the singles with a cold. Williams said the Hoosiers’ must-win mentality was a big factor in their win.\n“We definitely competed well against Penn State,” Williams said. “We knew we needed that win. I think that was a motivation.”\nLoring said he was let down with the Hoosiers’ play on Sunday. The loss was IU’s sixth to higher-ranked teams and their only 7-0 loss this season.\n“We played the No. 1 Northwestern seed a much better match than we played these guys,” Loring said. “It was a little disappointing that we didn’t have a much closer match. All the three top-20 losses that we have had, we played much better. I’m not disappointed we lost. I’m disappointed the match wasn’t closer.”\nWilliams said a number of factors were responsible for their poor performance.\n“I think with Michigan, one of their advantages was having their home crowd and senior day,” Williams said. “We’re not used to playing a stronger team outdoors. I’m just hoping we’ll learn a few things and beat them in the Big Ten (Tournament).”\nOtherwise, Loring said he was pleased with the Hoosiers’ overall 19-6 and 8-2 Big Ten record.\n“For us, last year we were 9-1 and now we’re 8-2,” Loring said. “That’s two good years back-to-back.”\nZapadalova said the team chemistry is responsible for their improvement this season.\n“I think we got really close as a team, especially after spring break,” Zapadalova said. “We support each other all the time. It’s amazing. I think we found our spot in the team and we play really good with each other. We have a really good team spirit.”\nThe Hoosiers will compete in the Big Ten Tournament, which starts on Thursday.