IU to play 3 matches at home

In February 2011, the IU men’s tennis team traveled to Nashville, Tenn., for a pre-conference showdown with then-No. 25 Vanderbilt, fully expecting to mount a serious challenge to the Commodores. The Hoosiers found southern hospitality elusive, however, failing to win a match in singles play on their way to a 7-0 shellacking.

Senior Stephen Vogl said he remembers the event vividly.  

“It was one of those things where we got back on the bus and everyone looked at each other like, ‘What the hell just happened?’” Vogl said. “That match actually changed the season for us.”  

After the wake up call, IU went on to become the surprise of the Big Ten, compiling a 9-1 conference record. This weekend, the No. 29 Hoosiers (3-2) will be hoping to avenge the defeat that reshaped this past year’s campaign, as they welcome No. 36 Vanderbilt along with No. 73 Harvard and Northern Illinois to Bloomington for a trio of contests.  

IU squares off against Harvard at noon Saturday and will play opposite Vanderbilt and Northern Illinois at noon and 6 p.m., respectively, Sunday.

“We reflect on (this past year’s loss at Vanderbilt) and we just want to beat them really bad,” Vogl said. “We want to show them last year was a fluke, and we’re better than that.”

As for their Ivy League opponent, Vogl said he believes Harvard is a young, dangerous team not to be underestimated.

“We are expecting a battle like every other time we play them,” Vogl said. IU defeated the Crimson 6-1 in Cambridge, Mass., this past season. “They have a lot of talent and a couple of good incoming freshmen.”  

IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said he expects the quick turnaround between Harvard and Vanderbilt — both of whom will enter as capable underdogs — to test his team mentally and physically.  

“We’re expecting a really tough weekend. Both teams will be really well prepared,” Bloemendaal said. “We will have to digest what happens against Harvard very quickly and be ready to play the next day. Back-to-back is more like a tournament situation, which will make us better later in the year.”

For the second consecutive weekend, Indiana will face two ranked opponents. Last weekend, the Hoosiers split a pair of matches in Columbus, Ohio, besting No. 28 Notre Dame and falling to No. 3 Ohio State. This time, however, the venue will be a more familiar one — the friendly confines of the IU Tennis Center.  

Thus, a repeat of this past weekend, where both junior Isade Juneau and senior Jeremy Langer had matches they were leading against top Ohio State players cut short because the outcome had been decided, seems unlikely. If either had been allowed to finish and emerged victorious, the Hoosiers would have almost certainly seen one or both Canadians’ names featured in the next edition of the ITA Top 125 rankings.  

Despite the disappointment, Bloemendaal said he is instructing them to take the setback in stride.

“They were discouraged initially, but are taking the positives now,” Bloemendaal said. “They have to understand how they were playing, who they were playing against and the level of competition. Then they will start feeling more like something happened that day.”