No. 32 Hoosiers set for away matches

Riding a three-match win streak, which includes a victory against No. 10 Michigan, the No. 32 IU women’s tennis team (14-5, 3-2) will play on the road for the second weekend in a row. The Hoosiers will face Iowa at 4:30 p.m. Friday and No. 13 Nebraska at noon Sunday.

IU has cut back on practice leading up to this weekend’s matches due to the team’s two long road trips in consecutive weeks. 

“We got back at about 11 o’clock last Sunday night, and we’ll probably get back around midnight or one o’clock this Sunday night, so it’s just important for us to rest our legs,” IU Coach Lin Loring said. “This is not an easy road trip because of (matches on) Friday and Sunday and driving six hours between the two sites. We just have to make sure that we’re fresh and ready to go.”

Loring said the bad part about IU’s schedule is that the team plays Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern and Purdue - all of whom are ranked in the top 25 - on the road this season. He said the Hoosiers have to make the most of their opportunities.

IU is in fifth place in the Big Ten after its pair of victories last weekend improved the team’s conference record to 3-2. Senior Leslie Hureau is ranked No. 111 in singles, and her teammate, sophomore Katie Klyczek, is ranked No. 112.

Iowa (8-8, 1-4) is tied for 10th in the conference. While the Hawkeyes have a .500 record through March, all of their losses have been against ranked opponents.

The Hawkeyes’ lone conference win was against No. 37 Illinois. Iowa junior Ruth Seaborne is ranked No. 85 in singles. Seaborne and Morven McCulloch are the No. 34 doubles tandem.

In the past decade, Iowa has a 7-5 advantage in dual matches against IU.

“The only thing that we’re concerned about at Iowa is that we really haven’t played in an outdoor match in strong wind,” Loring said. “It can get pretty windy there.”

Nebraska (16-3, 5-0) is first in the Big Ten. If the weather permits, the match will be played outdoors.

IU is 2-0 in outdoor matches this season. The Hoosiers defeated No. 2 Duke 4-2 and Michigan State 7-0 in those dual matches.

“They do play in a bubble, so if we play indoors we’ll have to get used to the bubble,” Loring said.

Nebraska has bested 10 ranked opponents this season, including wins against five teams ranked in the top 25.

Senior Mary Weatherholt is ranked No. 13 in singles. She will leave Nebraska as the winningest women’s tennis player in school history.

The doubles combination of Weatherholt and Patricia Veresova is No. 11 in the country.

IU and Nebraska have only faced each other once as conference foes. The Cornhuskers won that dual match 5-2 last spring.

“The bad thing for us this year is that we play every top-ranked team in the conference on the road,” he said. “We just have to give it our best shot.”