Hoosiers struggle in Bulldog Classic

Last weekend’s Bulldog Classic at Georgia, gave the IU women’s tennis team the opportunity to compete against some of the country’s top collegiate talent.

IU faced six nationally-ranked singles opponents at the tournament, which included Virginia.

Matches began Friday afternoon in Athens, Ga.

“In thirty-nine years of coaching, I’ve never experienced a tournament with such poor organization as this,” IU Coach Lin Loring said. “It wasn’t the fault of any of the coaches or players at the Bulldog Classic but was the result of Utah not showing up.”

Senior Leslie Hureau and sophomore Alecia Kauss both won their first sets against their ranked opponents before falling in three sets.

Georgia’s No. 53 Lauren Herring defeated Hureau 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, and Virginia’s Li Xi, who is ranked No. 77, knocked off Kauss 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

In the other singles matches on the first day of competition, Georgia’s Maho Kowase, who at No. 37 was the highest individually ranked player in the field, beat sophomore Katie Klyczek 6-2, 7-5. Kowase’s teammates Kate Fuller, No. 62,  and Makenzie Craft defeated senior Jithmie Jayawickrema and sophomore Shannon Murdy in straight sets.

Virginia’s Stephanie Nauta won against junior Sophie Garre 6-2, 6-2.

No. 103 Erin Vierra of Virginia bested sophomore Carolyn Chupa 6-0, 6-1. Fellow Cavalier and No. 99-ranked singles player Maria Fucillo topped junior Gabrielle Rubenstein 6-3, 6-0.

In doubles, the Hoosiers came up short in their four matches in the opening day of the Bulldog Classic.

Georgia’s No. 30-ranked tandem of Fuller and Herring defeated Hureau/Garre 8-4. Kauss/Murdy went down by the same score to No. 50 Kowase/Lily Kimbell. Chupa/Klyczek fell 8-3 to Vierra/Macie Epstein. The Rubenstein/Jayawickrema duo was the closest to pulling out a win but was defeated 8-5 by Fuccillo/Xi.

IU picked up its first win of the weekend in a doubles match against Virginia on Saturday.

Hureau and Garre teamed up to defeat the No. 41 team of Xi and Nauta 8-4.
Indiana was very close to picking up two more doubles wins, as well.

Kauss/Murdy fell 8-6 to Virginia’s Vierra/Epstein, and Chupa/Klyczek was also defeated 8-6 by the No. 30 team of Fuller/Herring.

Hureau took her opponent to the third set for the second day in a row but was defeated by Virginia’s Nauta in a tiebreaker 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Kauss was defeated by Kowase 6-1, 6-1, and Garre lost to Fuller 6-0, 6-1. Chupa and Rubenstein also lost in straight sets to Georgia Bulldogs.

Against Virginia, Klyczek lost 6-3, 6-3 to Xi, Jayawickrema was defeated 6-3, 6-4 by Epstein, and Murdy came up short to Fuccillo 7-6 (3), 6-2.

Loring said he won’t find out how they truly performed at the Bulldog Classic until later in the season but is pleased with the experience and learning opportunities the Hoosiers gained by playing against top-ranked competition.

“With the exception of Leslie, I’m not sure that any of our players were favored in any of our matches last weekend,” he said. “At the adidas Hoosier Classic, we were favored in about half of our matches, which is the best that you can hope for in a tournament. However, the difficult matches gave the team a lot of opportunities to learn and to be coached.”

The Hoosiers have only a few days in Bloomington until Thursday, when they head to the four-day ITA Regional at Purdue.