Klyczek, IU aim to beat Miami of Ohio and Ball State

A plethora of red shirts will enter the door of the IU Tennis Center as IU plays Miami of Ohio and Ball State this weekend.

On Saturday, the Hoosiers will try to extend their five-match win streak, in which they have outscored opponents by a combined total of 33-2. The team will play the Miami of Ohio Redhawks at 11 a.m. and the Ball State Cardinals at 4 p.m.

Miami of Ohio has a record of 2-3 this season, with losses to No. 71 Kentucky, No. 18
Vanderbilt and No. 59 Memphis.

The Redhawks’ two wins this season are against the two teams the Hoosiers faced this past weekend, Xavier and Cincinnati. The Hoosiers defeated both by a combined score of 14-0, while Miami beat both by a combined total of 13-1.

Miami of Ohio will have played against Furman on Friday prior to IU.

In the second match of the day, the Hoosiers take on in-state opponent Ball State.

The team from Muncie comes to Bloomington undefeated at 4-0.
The Cardinals have defeated IUPUI, Dayton, Wright State and Detroit Mercy by a total of 27-1.

Before IU, they play University of Chicago on Friday.

Neither team is nationally ranked, nor do they have any players or tandems nationally ranked, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

The Hoosiers’ lone representative in the rankings is freshman Carolyn Chupa, who is ranked No. 79 in singles.   

Chupa’s doubles partner for much of the season has been fellow freshman Katie Klyczek.

For the team portion of the schedule, they have gone 4-1 in doubles matches. Their only loss was against a No. 3 nationally ranked Duke squad.

Klyczek said their success is no accident.

“Chemistry is really important, and having chemistry is the difference between a lot of teams,” Klyczek said. “You have to feel comfortable with your partner on and off the court.”

Klyczek said the No. 1 reason they will succeed when Big Ten play starts is the tight bond they possess.

“This team has a good vibe,” Klyczek said. “We all get along really well. We want to get back to the top, and we have a lot of talent.”

Klyczek said the main difference between collegiate and junior tennis is the feature of
the team.

“It’s different with the team aspect,” Klyczek said. “You’re playing for coaches and school. You want to win for each other.”

The team aspect, which the IU program focuses heavily on, is one of the reasons Klyczek, who is from Munster, Ind., spurned Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado and Notre Dame to play for IU.

“I came to IU because the coaching staff is great,” Klyczek said. “It’s also close to home, so my parents can come on the weekends to watch me play.”