Hoosiers open Big Ten Tournament against struggling Hawkeyes

The late-charging Hoosiers, winners of five straight and seven of their last eight matches, begin postseason play today on familiar turf as the Big Ten Tournament commences at Northwestern’s Vandy Christie Tennis Center. For the second time in five days, the Hoosiers will play in Evanston, Ill. IU dispatched of the Wildcats 6-1 at the same facility last Sunday. The road win, coupled with a home upset of then-No. 20 Illinois two days earlier, vaulted IU from No. 36 to No. 27 in the rankings released Tuesday.

The Hoosiers (21-8, 7-4), who leapfrogged the No. 43 Wildcats in beating them last weekend to take the No. 5 seed, are slated to kick off their quest for a Big Ten Championship and automatic NCAA berth at 10:30 a.m. EST today against cellar dweller Iowa. The Hawkeyes (1-21, 0-11) earned the No. 12 seed, having failed to amass a single conference victory during the regular season.  

Recent history in the tournament’s early stages favors the Hoosiers. IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal’s team boasts a perfect 3-0 record in the opening round and has advanced at least as far as the quarterfinals all four years.

The Hoosiers and Hawkeyes met in action earlier this month in Iowa City, Iowa, with IU winning 6-1 in a match that catalyzed the cream and crimson’s return to the upper echelon of the conference standings.

Though IU entered the contest on a three-match slide, its longest of the season, the Hoosiers sucked the drama out of the affair early on as Jeremy Langer, Will Kendall and Dimitrije Tasic cruised to a trio of singles victories at No. 3, 5 and 6, respectively, after the doubles point had been claimed.

While seeking a repeat performance at those spots, Bloemendaal said the team will also be looking for a lift from the top of the lineup this weekend, which enjoyed perhaps its most successful stretch of conference play last weekend in victories against Illinois and Northwestern.

“We’re starting to play better again at the top, and we’re still playing just as well if not better at the bottom,” Bloemendaal said. “We’re doing everything for the team, but the question at this point in the season becomes more about six individual spots and three doubles teams. I think we’re very close to playing our best tennis at all spots, and we’re performing at the right moment.”

No spot shined more brightly in the pair of wins than No. 2, where Josh MacTaggart’s on-court accomplishments earned him Big Ten Player of the Week.  MacTaggart knocked off two ranked opponents, No. 30 Roy Kalmanovich of the Illini and No. 124 Spencer Wolf of the Wildcats, in such dominant fashion that he did not concede more than two games in any one set, MacTaggart also partnered with Alastair Barnes to register a 3-0 record in doubles.  

The rematch with Iowa promises to take on a different character than its predecessor, as it will be played on the neutral courts. Bloemendaal intimated that the conference foes may be at a disadvantage against the Hoosiers this week, as the Hoosiers spent most of last weekend on the very surface that will host the tournament.  

“The benefit of last weekend is that we practiced on these courts on Saturday and spent the majority of Sunday playing on them,” Bloemendaal said. “Other teams might not be able to get a lot of practice time, and I think that could work in our favor.”

Should the Hoosiers dispatch the Hawkeyes for the second time this month, they will face another familiar opponent in fourth-seeded and overall No. 36 Minnesota Friday morning. The potential rematch, which would give IU the chance to avenge its most recent defeat of the season, a 4-3 home loss on April 14, would take place at 10:30 a.m. EST.