IU to start Big Ten stretch with match against archrival Purdue

Ahead of this week’s first Big Ten bouts and fresh off of their Floridian excursion that saw the players brush aside two nonconference foes, the Hoosiers returned to Bloomington with a new look. In addition to sporting a tropical bronze, each player enlisted an unlikely space — his nape — as advertising space for a greater cause:
camaraderie.

Shaved into the back of each player’s neck with varying degrees of skill is the unmistakable “IU” logo. The players eschewed a professional barber for the task, instead favoring a teammate’s steady hand for the work of art.

“We started the tradition of the ‘IU’ symbol last year. It’s a team thing we do,” senior Jeremy Langer said. “It helps with team bonding, but it’s also a fun thing for us.”

IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal’s Indiana squad will hope to draw on that same vein of solidarity, which has already helped the Hoosiers amass both an 11-3 record and a No. 21 national team ranking. They will face No. 52 Purdue at noon today in West Lafayette, Ind., in the conference opener for both schools.

IU, which has not fallen to the Boilermakers since Feb. 26, 2006, has owned the intrastate rivalry recently. The Hoosiers have yet to drop a match to Purdue under the tutelage of Bloemendaal, who is in his fifth year at the helm.

The Boilermakers, who are coming off of a 1-2 weekend in San Diego that included two losses to unranked opponents Oklahoma State and Pacific, sit squarely at .500, having compiled an overall record of 6-6 entering today’s contest.

The mood in the IU camp remained one of heightened focus and concentration ahead of the trip to Gold and Black country.

“It’s Purdue and Indiana,” Bloemendaal said. “They could come in not having won a match and play lights out against us, especially at home. They’re going to make sure there’s a lot of people there and will make it as unfriendly as possible. Guys all know the bragging rights. Everybody talks about the rivalry all the time, and it’s no different in tennis. We want to beat Purdue anytime we get the opportunity to.”

Langer also acknowledged expecting a stern challenge from the Boilermakers, but exuded an air of confidence that seems to have permeated throughout the team. None of the three seniors on the team have ever tasted defeat at the hands of Purdue, and all will be aiming to clinch a perfect regular season record in the rivalry as Hoosiers.  

“You know they’ll want to beat us, especially on their home courts,” Langer said. “I know it’s going to be tough, but we go in fully expecting to win and come out with a victory.”

A doubles victory would carry added meaning for Langer. Should the likely No. 1 duo of Langer and junior Isade Juneau triumph in its top doubles encounter, Langer will become the Hoosiers’ all-time leader in doubles victories. This past week, Langer moved into a tie with former IU netter Santiago Gruder, who graduated this past year, with the 94th victory of his career against NJIT.

However, even with a significant milestone looming for the Toronto native and member of Bloemendaal’s inaugural recruiting class at IU, the squad remains wholly focused on collective, not individual, goals. From the beginning of the season, Bloemendaal and his players have maintained that winning the Big Ten regular season crown is one of the team’s ultimate objectives.  

The only means to that lofty end likely runs through Ohio State, who has won the previous six conference championships in undefeated fashion. This Sunday, the Buckeyes will put their lengthy Big Ten win streak on the line as they travel to Bloomington and the IU Tennis Center for a pivotal match against the Hoosiers.

If history is any precedent, IU can ill afford to drop today’s battle in West Lafayette — or any other Big Ten match, for that matter — if it is to mount a serious challenge to the Buckeyes’ recent dominance of the conference. This past year, a surprise 9-1 record for Coach Bloemendaal’s squad still only provided a runner-up finish to Ohio State. The Hoosiers, therefore, are guarding against looking ahead in the schedule, fully committing themselves to each match at hand.

As today’s match at hand pits IU opposite Purdue, motivation is not difficult to find.

“The match represents a great opportunity to open the Big Ten season with a road win over our rival school,” senior Will Kendall said. “Our rivalry with Purdue means a great deal to us, just as it does every Hoosier team. We’re prepared and ready for the challenge.”