Hoosiers open Big Ten against archrival Purdue

The Hoosiers will take on in-state rival Purdue at noon Saturday in both teams’ Big Ten opener.

The No. 41-ranked Hoosiers (10-4) have defeated the Boilermakers (7-4) each of the past four years. “They’ve started off a little slow but they’ve got the players to make the jump, so they’re a dangerous team,” Bloemendaal said.

IU junior Stephen Vogl said it would be important for the Hoosiers to properly channel their energy in what is expected to be an intense match.

“There’s obviously some sort of added pressure to the match,” Vogl said. “But if you look at it in a positive sort of way, that’s only going to help you play better.”

Even though IU’s roster doesn’t contain any players from Big Ten territory, Bloemendaal said his players understand the significance of this match.

“It will be like no other match we play throughout the year. Regardless if a player’s ever played in it or not, they’re going to feel something different in that match,” Bloemendaal said. “There’s a different level of intensity, and they know that everybody’s looking at that match.”

– Daniel Allar