After recent wins by No. 52 IU, the Hoosiers are on a winning streak with matches won against Nebraska and Iowa over the past few days. The IU women’s tennis team defeated both Nebraska and Iowa 4-3.
Coming up, the Hoosiers will play Penn State at 4 p.m. Friday at Penn State.
IU has yet to compete against Penn State in a dual match this season, but the women’s tennis team is familiar with the Nittany Lions. The Hoosiers played against Penn State last April and won 6-1.
Penn State has won its past two games: against Big Ten newcomer Rutgers as well as No. 47 Maryland.
IU has not had much practice time due to recent matches, which could show to be a possible barrier against bringing home a win this Friday.
“We just got back from 11 days on and off the road so we’re only having one day of practice and then a practice at Penn state, so we really aren’t having a lot of preparation time,” IU Coach Lin Loring said.
Lack of practice time is not the only obstacle the Hoosiers are expected to face at University Park. The match is to be held at indoor courts as opposed to outdoor courts, which is a strength for Penn State.
“Penn State has been playing really good tennis lately,” Loring said. “They’re really strong playing inside, so we’re going to have to play really well and practice well at Penn state to beat them.”
This match should be difficult for the Hoosiers because of the court Penn State plays on. IU is used to playing on six courts and outside, but Penn State has four inside courts.
“Playing indoors versus outside will definitely be a challenge,” Loring said. “And we’re only playing on four courts, which will make the match very long, so we have to get used to their courts and prepare for a very long match.”
The Hoosiers' strong run of singles play should serve as a strong benefit for this upcoming match against the Nittany Lions.
“We’ve been playing really good singles lately; even when our doubles don’t do quite as well, we’re able to pick up the points with singles,” Loring said. “Right now, our strength is our singles play.”
