Men's tennis overcomes strong schedule

By IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal’s normally high standards, the IU men’s tennis team has struggled this season.

The Hoosiers are 2-4 and sit at No. 57 in the national ranking.

But an abnormally high strength of schedule has Bloemendaal unconcerned about his team’s record and feeling confident about its gained experience.

The Hoosiers’ four losses include four teams that most Big Ten teams will not play for the entirety of their non-conference schedules.  

The one home loss came at the hands of North Carolina State, currently ranked No. 32, though Bloemendaal said he believes it is a top-20 team.

Bloemendaal said the experience his team gained by playing at No. 1 Virginia, No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 16 Kentucky will give invaluable experience for his team later in the season.

“There was definitely a lot of thought put into what we’re doing,” Bloemendaal said. “I don’t want them to be overwhelmed by any level that they see by the time we hit March.”

This relatively young Hoosiers team boasts just one senior, Dimitrije Tasic. The only other upperclassmen which plays regularly is junior transfer Sven Lalic

Lalic transferred from a Division II school, Armstrong Atlantic State.
That leaves Tasic as the only player with significant experience playing in these high profile matches,

Bloemendaal said he is aware of the effects that losing a lot with a young team can have. He said some players do not respond well to losing and can actually regress instead of progress.

These young Hoosiers do not have this problem, Bloemendaal said.

“I think each and every match we have handled a little bit better, and our young guys have gotten a little bit tougher and a little more confident in what they’re trying to do on the courts,” Bloemendaal said. “I think we are a long ways ahead of where we are at the first part of January.”

Not only are these young Hoosiers battling and competing with talented teams, they are doing so on the road in hostile environments.

Bloemendaal called the matches at Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky the most challenging competition his team will face this year.

“They were all difficult in different ways — but put those three together, we won’t see anything more challenging than that,” Bloemendaal said. “We might see something similar as challenging, but no more.”

Bloemendaal said he felt the team is on track for where he wants to be at the start of Big Ten conference play.

They now know what the best teams in the country look like.

“I think it’s prepared them perfectly for what they’re going to run into,” Bloemendaal said. “That’s one of the reasons why we play these tough matches early on, and the other one is to understand why you’re putting in the work, what you’re working towards and what level you need to start competing towards.”

Bloemendaal also said their current record is the last thing on his mind.

He said he believes when his team comes together, the experience and adversity they have gone through will make them one of the top teams in the country.

“I’m encouraged by the direction we’re going, I’m very excited about this team at this point,” Bloemendaal said. “I know where we’re at record wise, but I think we’re getting ready to take off. I’ve seen a lot of teams in this position who start to win a lot of matches in a row.”