Months of preparation lead to team debut

Eager to see how months of intra-squad practice translates against outside competition, the Indiana men’s tennis team officially kicks off its spring season Sunday, welcoming counterparts from Western Michigan and Toledo to Bloomington for a doubleheader.

The matches, scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, at the IU Tennis Center, will serve not only as the first marks on the Hoosiers’ record, but also as a barometer for the team’s recent progress.

Western Michigan enters the contest with a 2-1 record, while Toledo comes in at 2-2. Both teams are looking to bounce back from defeats.

“We’re confident about the match,” senior Jeremy Langer said. “We’ve worked really hard, so we don’t expect any surprises — we’ll just be intense and
committed.”

Junior Isade Juneau, recipient of last week’s Big Ten Men’s Tennis Player of the Week, cautioned against overconfidence. 

“A doubleheader is never easy,” Juneau said. “Western Michigan will come out relaxed and ready to try to upset us. It’s important to start strong and build on that for the rest of the season.”

IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal offered a similar take on mentally preparing for the role of the favorite.

“We’re confident with what we’ve done in practice, but the right situation could make things interesting,” Bloemendaal said. “(Western Michigan and Toledo) are not carrying the same pressure. These are the right kinds of matches to start out with — we’ll know more about ourselves afterwards.”

Since October, the Hoosiers have only had one occasion to test their mettle — the UCF Invitational in Orlando, Fla., which took place Jan. 6-8. They compiled a 31-10 record in the Sunshine State, aided by Juneau, who earned the weekly conference accolade for his performance.

Though Juneau left Orlando with an unbeaten record in singles play, vanquishing all four of his opponents and drawing praise from the other schools’ head coaches, he said he was surprised at receiving the award.  

“I wasn’t expecting (to be named Player of the Week) at all,” Juneau said. “I’m just thankful for my teammates pushing me hard. I’ve been trying to lead the team. Teammates see me work hard and want to work harder.”

The week in central Florida provided more than just an opportunity to hone skills on the court, however. The team used the time to welcome its newly added transfer from Tulsa, England native Alastair Barnes.

Langer said the trip “was a huge team-building experience, which will hopefully lead to more wins this season.”   

The recent amount of effort expended by Juneau and the rest of the team hasn’t gone unnoticed. Bloemendaal said this year’s squad is ahead of the pace of last year’s team, which exceeded expectations by finishing with a 9-1 record in Big Ten play and reaching the NCAA Tournament.  

“The last month of practice in the fall was really good, and I’m very excited about our progress and improvement from day to day, as well as the effort,”
Bloemendaal said.