The IU men’s tennis team had a good Friday.
Indiana (6-1) played a doubleheader and came out strong Friday morning.
The 49th-ranked Hoosiers defeated Murray State 7-0 Friday morning at the IU Tennis Center. The Hoosiers started strong winning the doubles point and then carried that momentum into a victory.
Coming into the match, IU Coach Jeremy Wurtzman spoke about preparation for facing Murray State.
“We don’t know Murray State too well,” Wurtzman said. “I think we will see their best tennis and their best fight.”
The Hoosiers faced a tougher opponent in No. 44 Oregon (6-2).
IU defeated Oregon 4-2 in dramatic fashion thanks to junior Daniel Bednarczyk. The Hoosiers were up 3-0 but the Ducks stormed back 3-2, and all eyes turned to two courts in the waning moments of the singles competition.
After Bednarczyk led the third set tiebreaker 4-2, Oregon’s Daan Maasland cut the lead to one at 6-5.
After a powerful serve by Bednarczyk, Maasland returned the serve out of bounds to seal the victory for the Hoosiers.
“That point right there was the team coming together,” Bednarczyk said. “All the early mornings you put on the court — it pays off.”
A constant throughout the day was the teamwork between juniors Sam Monette and Daniel Bednarczyk, who formed a powerful tandem in doubles. After blanking Murray State 6-0, the two Canadian teammates and longtime friends defeated the Ducks 6-4.
“I’ve known Sam since I was 11,” Bednarczyk said. “We traveled around Europe on the junior national team. He is like my brother.”
The Hoosiers found a way to win in spite of nearly surrendering a 3-0 lead to Oregon. Despite Oregon’s will to win, the focused Hoosiers edged the Ducks.
“We talk a lot about putting ourselves in position by preparation by doing things we can control and I thought that’s what we did,” Wurtzman said.
