Young team returns home

After splitting the two opening matches of the season, the IU women’s tennis team comes back to Bloomington to open the home portion of the schedule this Saturday.
In the front end of a doubleheader, the Hoosiers will square off against the Western Michigan Broncos at 11 a.m.

The Broncos opened their season with a 7-0 shut out loss to the No. 10 team in the nation, the Michigan Wolverines.

Their second match was a shutout victory, 7-0, against the University of Detroit.
Later that same day, the Hoosiers will play in-state rival Butler. Play for that match starts at 4 p.m. at the IU Tennis Center.

This will be the opening match of the year for the Bulldogs.

Neither Western Michigan nor Butler feature any nationally ranked singles players or doubles tandems. Going into matches such as these two, the players do not have the opportunity to scout their opponents.

“We do not know who we are going to play going into a match,” freshman Carolyn Chupa said.

No. 78 Chupa said being thrust into the match unaware of the identity of the opponent is the preferred way for her.

“It’s better not knowing. You have a clear mind, and you’re not thinking a lot about other things,” Chupa said.

After starting out the season 1-1 with a 6-1 loss to No. 3 Duke last week, Chupa explained what can be taken from a match like that.

“The match score didn’t indicate how close the matches were,” Chupa said. “Duke played the bigger points better, but it was a great learning experience.”

With five freshmen on the team, it was several members’ first experiences in a team collegiate match. Adjustments from high school or junior tennis have to be made to accommodate the skill level of collegiate tennis.

“The team aspect is a lot different, because in junior tennis it’s more about individuals and tournaments,” Chupa said. “The level of talent is about the same, but the girls hit a lot harder in college.”

This year in particular, team chemistry seems to be a strong point for the cream and crimson.

“There haven’t been any internal problems, and you see that a lot with other teams,” Chupa said. “In some cases, players cannot get along with other players or with the coaches.”

The positive environment, which not only promotes success in sports but also academics, is one of the main reasons Chupa spurned Michigan, Wake Forest and Florida State to come to Bloomington to play college ball.

“The reason I came to IU was a combination of the tennis program and the business school,” Chupa explained. “I’m a direct admit to the Kelley School and that is not an opportunity that I could have gotten at other schools.”