Women's tennis team takes on No. 23 Michigan, Penn State

The Big Ten Tournament does not start for another week, but the Hoosiers will take on two possible opponents this weekend.\nNo. 29 IU will play two road matches as it competes against No. 23 Michigan and unranked Penn State. The Wolverines pose a major threat with two ranked players, No. 49 Chisako Sugiyama and No. 116 Tania Mahtani. Sugiyama and Mahtani will also compete as the No. 44 doubles combination.\nThe match against Michigan will seem familiar to fans. Last year, the then-No. 27 Hoosiers upset the then-No. 25 Wolverines 5-2 in the last match of the season.\nIU coach Lin Loring said the Hoosiers are prepared to face Michigan, a team looking for some revenge.\n“The only difference is we’re playing on Michigan’s court,” Loring said. “It’s really, really kind of scarily similar to last year’s situation.”\nJunior Alba Berdala, who has been bothered by a sore wrist, said no matter what happens this weekend, the Hoosiers are in a good position for the Big Ten Tournament.\n“The worst that can happen if we lose both matches, we’re still going to be the No. 3 seed,” Berdala said. “The fact that we did really well this whole season makes us more confident and gives us less pressure. We can play more relaxed.”\nLoring said beating Michigan will secure a No. 2 seed. However, he said he’s more concerned about the match with Penn State.\n“We really need to win against Penn State to keep our record clean as far as NCAA selection,” Loring said.\nSophomore Lindsey Stuckey said the team does not feel pressured this weekend, but hopes to gain some good experience before the Big Ten Tournament.\n“I think Michigan will really be a challenge for us because they are one of the top teams in the country,” Stuckey said. “We know we’re competitive with Michigan. We’re just going to bring everything we have.”\nExcited about taking on a tough opponent, Berdala said she is expecting a tight contest between the two teams.\n“I’m not going to say we’re going to beat Michigan, because I know it’s going to be a close match,” Berdala said. “They’re playing at home so they’ll be extra motivated. The fact that we won against them last year means they’re going to be fired up.”\nBecause of last weekend’s poor weather, the team did not compete outdoors. Senior Brianna Williams said the team will take advantage of playing outside this weekend.\n“Normally we have a lot more (outdoor match experience) going into the Big Ten and NCAAs,” Williams said. “It’s been a little while since we’ve played outdoors.”\nStuckey also said the team hopes to improve its doubles play, which has been weak all season.\n“I think we’ve been struggling with doubles lately,” Stuckey said. “We just want to continue to improve, especially in doubles, because we want to have that point. We just want to make sure to get off the right foot.”\nIU will take on Penn State Friday and Michigan on Sunday. Both matches will take place on the road.