Ranked foes look to thwart Hoosiers' 7-game win streak

This weekend, the Hoosiers will look to extend their seven-game winning streak against formidable opponents at home, where they are undefeated this season.

On Friday, the team will take on its first nationally ranked opponent since its season-opening loss to Duke. The Hoosiers face off against the University of Tennessee at
1:30 p.m.

The Volunteers are ranked No. 17 in the nation and boast wins against No. 5 Baylor, No. 10 Michigan, No. 12 Northwestern, No. 22 Tulsa and No. 24 Notre Dame.
Tennessee stands at a record of 6-3 with all three losses against top 25 competition. The Volunteers did not surrender the doubles point in any of the nine matches.

The team from Knoxville, Tenn., features nationally ranked singles players No. 24 Natalie Pluskota, No. 27 Brynn Boren and No. 59 Kata Szekely. The Volunteers also have the No. 9 doubles tandem Pluskota and Szekely and No. 18 Boren and Sarah Toti.

The Hoosiers will square off against DePaul University at 11 a.m. Sunday The Blue Demons have a 7-1 record during the season. They are coming off a win against No. 37 North Carolina State and No. 36 Southern Methodist University.

In the past two weeks, DePaul has had two Big East Player of the Week awards. Freshman Jasmin Kling won the honor for the previous week, and fellow freshman Rebeca Mitrea won the award the week before.

Taking on such highly ranked opponents, the Hoosiers such as freshman Alecia Kauss will look to continue their success. Kauss has gone 5-2 for the team portion of the season in singles, and for the past two matches, she has outscored her opponents 24-3.

“I have great teammates to practice with, and we enjoy helping each other,” Kauss said. “Plus, not all scores are indicative of the match. Just because you win 6-0 doesn’t mean the other person didn’t play well.”

Kauss acknowledged her recent success is a sign of her hard work.

“I feel now I’m playing better and better,” Kauss said. “I wasn’t playing my best in the beginning, but now I’m coming into my own.”

She said adjustments had to be made from the junior circuit to collegiate ball.

“There is definitely an adjustment with college academics,” Kauss said. “First semester was more difficult, but you have to learn how to balance athletics with academics.”

For this particular tennis team, Kauss said chemistry seems to be one of its best
attributes.

“College tennis is a lot more fun because of the team aspect,” Kauss said.

Kauss, from Overland Park, Kan., had a decorated career before college ball and a multitude of options before choosing to spend her collegiate career in Bloomington.

Kauss said IU’s esteemed business school and the coaching staff were big factors in her decision to forgo attending Texas A&M, Tennessee and Iowa to play for the Hoosiers.

“I chose IU because I liked the team and loved (Head Coach) Loring and (Associate Head Coach) Ramiro,” Kauss said. “They are respectable people, and they are very warm and friendly.”