IU falls to pair of Michigan schools by identical scores

Much to the chagrin of the Hoosiers, a change of scenery in the form of a weekend excursion to Michigan provided no antidote for a recent run of setbacks, as No. 23 IU dropped 5-2 decisions to both Michigan State and Michigan.

The losses, which leave the Hoosiers at 14-7 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten, capped a week full of ignominious firsts for this year’s IU squad.

Its home fortress, which had produced nine Hoosier victories in nine matches, was breached for the first time last Sunday by No. 2 Ohio State — only to be successfully stormed again three days later by No. 45 Louisville.

In conceding defeat to the Cardinals, IU also dropped a nonconference match at home for the first time this season. Finally, the Hoosiers’ voyage northward to East Lansing and Ann Arbor, Mich., saw the cream and crimson leave empty-handed, with only its first losing streak of the campaign to show for its efforts.   

IU surrendered the doubles point in both contests, confirming what senior Will Kendall had predicted earlier in the week: the Spartans and Wolverines would both come out energetic and eager to avenge defeats exacted upon them by the Hoosiers in Bloomington last year.

In singles action, IU fared little better, only able to capture two of the six matches on both occasions, falling short of the four it needed to win to snatch an overall victory. 

All was not doom and gloom, however; a weekend low on bright spots was illuminated somewhat by a pair of triumphs at No. 2 singles by junior Josh MacTaggart. 

MacTaggart bounced back from mid-week disappointment at the same spot against Louisville’s Sebastian Stiefelmeyer to record two personal Big Ten victories, doing so without losing a set.

In East Lansing, he saw off Michigan State’s Denis Bogatov 6-1, 6-4, then in Ann Arbor he pegged back Michigan’s Shaun Bernstein 6-1, 6-1 to round off a successful individual weekend. 

Saturday, Michigan State edged IU for the initial point when Spartans Austin Brooks and Harry Jadun triumphed in a tight affair opposite MacTaggart and Alastair Barnes, 9-8 (2), after Aaron Pfister and Drew Lied had defeated Jeremy Langer and Isade Juneau 8-5.

By the time Kendall and Stephen Vogl prevailed 9-8 (4) in the other battle at No. 3 doubles, IU already trailed 1-0 in the contest overall. 

MacTaggart quickly evened the score at one apiece by registering a 6-1, 6-4 victory against Bogatov, but the Hoosiers proceeded to surrender the next four singles points, and with them any mathematical chance at their second Big Ten road win of the season.

Suddenly finding themselves In the midst of a losing streak for the first time this season, the Hoosiers traveled to Ann Arbor Sunday in search of a more favorable outcome in the second leg of their back-to-back.

Instead, IU once again ended the day’s proceedings on the wrong end of a 5-2 score line, conceding the doubles point and a quartet of singles matches for the second day running.

Apart from another MacTaggart triumph, the only silver lining of the day for the cream and crimson came courtesy of Kendall, whose first foray into action at the No. 5 spot in Big Ten play produced a 6-1, 6-4 victory against the Wolverines’ Barrett Franks.

 — Ben Simmons