Hoosiers split weekend matches

The No. 58 IU men’s tennis team split its two matches Friday, including a 6-1 victory against unranked Toledo.

IU could not pull off the upset against No. 18 Vanderbilt, losing 4-2.

The Hoosiers started hot against Vanderbilt, winning a tightly contested doubles point against the Commodores. The Hoosiers won two of the three doubles matches.

Despite losing, the sophomore pairing of Daniel Bednarczyk and Samuel Monette arguably outplayed its counterpart, which is ranked sixth in the country. It was the pair’s second time playing at No. 1 doubles this season.

Monette’s difficult day was not over.

During his first match at No. 1 singles this season, unranked Monette had to play the No. 10 player in the country, Gonzales Austin, who previously beat Monette.

Monette was not intimidated by the matchup. The extroverted Canadian battled and defeated Austin.

“Basically my mindset just sort of switched, and I started believing that I should be in the top 10,” Monette said. “This guy that I beat today is not better than me, and I got to start believing more that I’m better than these guys.”

Monette used what he called a “manly” third set to seal the victory, meaning he maintained his focus and hit the big shots when the situation presented itself.

Austin slammed his racket off the hard court while yelling obscenities after the match ended. Monette let out a lion-sized roar, accompanied by a few fist pumps.

“Sam’s a competitor, and I think he pushes buttons a little bit on the court,” IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “As long as he does it within the rules, I’m okay with it. I think everybody’s got their way of competing, and he’s going to push buttons with his opponent from time to time.”

Monette’s victory tied the score, 2-2.

However, IU’s upperclassmen senior Dimitrije Tasic and junior Sven Lalic wre struggling.

After winning their doubles match in dramatic fashion, the duo seemed poised to lead the charge into singles and fuel an upset.

Instead, Lalic lost his match in straight sets, and Tasic lost in three hard-fought sets in a match that may have sealed the final result for the Hoosiers.

“Sometimes when your confidence is shaken a little but, you go through these times where things are harder than they should be,” Bloemendaal said.

Tasic won his first set before dropping the next two. It took a third-set tie break to decide the match, but Tasic could not quite come through.

IU’s lone senior said he felt most responsible for the loss against Vanderbilt.

The Hoosiers will need a complete effort Monday when they compete against Ohio State, recently named ITA National Indoor champion, to the IU Tennis Center.

Bloemendaal said he believes his team is on the precipice of becoming elite, and their performance against Vanderbilt is a good indicator of this.

“We just got a little bit ahead of ourselves, and that’s what happens with a young team,” Bloemendaal said. “We had a tremendous hour and a half to two hours.”

Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter @MichaelHughes94.