IU drops nail-biter to Louisville

Another year, same result.

The recent trend of tough losses to Louisville continued Wednesday as No. 23 Indiana (14-5) fell to the No. 45 Cardinals (13-8), 4-3. The Cardinals have now won at IU by the same score the past three times, dating back to 2008.

In a cruel twist of fate for the Hoosiers, their rival grabbed the final two points of the contest within mere seconds of one another. Trailing 3-2, the Cardinals leapfrogged the IU in one fell swoop as a pair of matches ended in Louisville’s favor.

Just after Sebastian Stiefelmeyer squeaked past junior Josh MacTaggart, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 at the No. 2 spot, Luis Elizondo outlasted senior Will Kendall at No. 6, prevailing by a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 mark.  

Despite starting well when junior Isade Juneau and senior Jeremy Langer’s triumph against No. 64 Andrew Carter and Albert Wagner in the afternoon’s top tandem tangle sealed the doubles point, the Hoosiers lost for the second time in four days.

On Sunday, IU trailed throughout in a disappointing 6-1 defeat to No. 2 Ohio State. Wednesday’s battle with the Cardinals featured lead changes, and the outcome was uncertain until the last point.   

“I didn’t think we did a great job of playing offense or dictating like we’re capable of doing,” IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “If you can execute your offense under pressure, you can win some tough matches. I thought we had a really good chance on every court. Having an older team, I thought we’d come through in those close matches, but we played a little bit tight today.”

In singles action, only the Canadian duo of Juneau and Langer came through for the Hoosiers. Juneau beat Carter in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, at No. 1, while Langer required a third stanza to see off his German opponent, Albert Wagner, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 3.    
The Hoosiers will look to bounce back this weekend up north, as road trips to No. 28 Michigan and Michigan State await.