Hoosiers to visit Cincinnati for road matches

This Saturday the Hoosiers travel to Cincinnati, where the women’s tennis team will embark on a doubleheader.

Play will start with the team taking on the Cincinnati Bearcats at 11 a.m.

The Bearcats will be searching for their first win of the season, as they have lost all three of their matches. They have been defeated by Notre Dame, Miami of Ohio and Bowling Green by the combined total score of 19-2.

Later in the day, the Hoosiers will face off against the Xavier Musketeers. Play against Xavier commences at 4 p.m.

The Musketeers bring a winning record into the second match of the day. With wins against Toledo and Detroit, Xavier will be looking for its third win of the season.
The lone loss of the season for Xavier was at the hands of Miami of Ohio in which the Musketeers were shut out 7-0.

Combining all of the matches Xavier has played this season, it stands at a record of 10-11 for team points.

The element of fatigue could be a contributing factor for the Musketeers in this match.

“Xavier will not have played a match in the morning, so they will be fresh,” IU Coach Lin Loring said. “That will make it more of a challenge for us.”

In comparison, the Hoosiers come into play with a combined record of 21-7 for all team points. Six of the team point losses came at the hands of the No. 3 team in the nation, the Duke Blue Devils.

Neither Xavier nor Cincinnati feature any nationally ranked singles players or doubles duos while the Hoosiers feature the No. 79 ranked player in the nation, freshman Carolyn Chupa.

Indiana was victorious against both of these teams last year when they played.
This doubleheader on the road is a sort of an oddity.

“We normally do not play doubleheaders on the road,” Loring said.

Traveling to Cincinnati was done on purpose, as the team wanted to play in as many road matches as possible to gain precious experience for this young team.

“We specifically did this so our freshmen could gain experience playing road matches,” Loring said.

Playing on the road when Big Ten conference play starts could be a challenge for this young squad. In tennis specifically, playing on the road can be a foreign and difficult task.

“Any time you go on the road, you’re not sleeping in your own bed, and the travel is tiring,” Loring said.

All tennis courts are different speeds, she said. For example, Michigan State has a wax floor, while Purdue has a brand new, slow floor.

Getting the women used to different speeds and lighting is crucial so as to “get them out of their comfort zone,” Loring said.