IU draws Michigan State in tourney

IU men’s tennis coach Randy Bloemendaal thought his team was good enough to finish in the Big Ten’s top three in 2010.

But after a season in which the No. 44 Hoosiers (15-9, 5-5) split each of their five weekend sets, he and his team must settle for a 6-seed in the Big Ten Tournament and a first-round date with 11-seeded Michigan State (13-13, 1-9).

That’s okay, Bloemendaal said, because it could turn out to be the best possible draw for his young squad.

“I think it’s a perfect storm for us,” the third-year coach said. “The draw ended up being exactly what we need to win this tournament.”

Bloemendaal said the team needed to play Michigan State in order to regain confidence following Sunday’s 5-2 loss to Michigan.

Should IU win its first-round match? The team would face the Wolverines again in the quarterfinals.

The Hoosiers’ five conference victories have come against teams seeded seventh through 11th. To win the tournament, the team will likely have to beat the top three teams — all three of whom are ranked ahead of them in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. IU has yet to knock off a team ranked higher than No. 42.

But the Hoosiers aren’t concerned. When asked whether the team could win the Big Ten Tournament, freshman Josh MacTaggart only smiled.

“Yeah,” he said. “Definitely.”

All of the conference tournament matches will be played at the IU Varsity Courts beginning at 9 a.m. today and will run through Sunday.