Men’s tennis team prepares for four weekend matches

Continuing its grueling early-season schedule, the IU men’s tennis team will play four matches this weekend, one against a ranked foe.

The No. 57 Hoosiers (2-4) will play host to a doubleheader Friday against Xavier (2-3) and Western Michigan (4-1). The Hoosiers take the court again on Sunday with another doubleheader against No. 68 UCF (2-0) and Northern Illinois (5-1).
The Hoosiers begin play at 10 a.m. Friday at the IU Tennis Center.

Even though only one opponent is ranked, IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said he is well aware of the challenges the teams pose.

“All four of these teams knock off opponents from big conferences year in and year out,” Bloemendaal said. “Western Michigan does it almost every year. Northern Illinois is sort of new to the game, but they did win the MAC last year. You always see Xavier in some interesting matches against one of the top four or five conferences.”

Bloemendaal said he does not view this weekend as a confidence builder, but he does view it as a way to build team momentum.

“These teams have a lot of talent,” Bloemendaal said. “I look at it as a momentum builder. But I think we’ve got a tough weekend ahead of us, and all the pressure is on us. Everybody’s expecting us to come through.”

Bloemendaal emphasizes to his team the importance of playing with leads. This weekend is an opportunity for these young Hoosiers to gain experience doing just that.

“We’ll be the favorite, and if we jump out to some leads we’ll see how well we do with them,” Bloemendaal said. “I think the team is maturing pretty quickly, and, as we do so, carrying leads is what makes the biggest difference. The more matches you get under your belt where you have the lead the majority of the match and you come through and win the match will help us improve even more.”

No. 1 singles player Sven Lalic will be the Hoosier to watch this weekend.

Bloemendaal said he believes Lalic is playing good tennis. But when playing another team’s No. 1, Lalic never gets an easy match.. If Lalic goes 3-1 in singles, it will be a good weekend, Bloemendaal said.

“Everybody’s got a great No. 1,” Bloemendaal said. “It’s not like he’s going to get an easy match thrown in there.”

UCF, the Hoosiers lone-ranked opponent, is a familiar foe.

The two teams competed in January at the UCF Invitational, and UCF beat the Hoosiers. Bloemendaal said he sees this time going differently for a variety of reasons.
One of these is the change of venue. In Florida, the match was played under the sun. This weekend’s contest will be played indoors.

“It’s an advantage, no doubt about it, no more than it’s an advantage for them when we play there,” Bloemendaal said. “I think it takes time to prepare for speed and the surroundings of an indoor court, and we are going to try and make it as uncomfortable as possible for them.”

Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter at @MichaelHughes94