Fresh off its second straight 2-1 weekend, the IU women’s tennis team has two away matches on the horizon.
IU will play Cornell University on Saturday in West Point, New York, and Yale University on Sunday in New Haven, Connecticut. Both matches begin at 11 a.m.
Ahead of the two road matches, here are three things to know:
Road experience
After last weekend’s thrilling 4-3 win over the United States Naval Academy on the road, the Hoosiers are now 2-1 in matches away from Bloomington.
And with its recent road success, the team is finding more confidence as it travels.
“I like the mentality that the team has going on the road,” head coach Ramiro Azcui said. “I guess I’m not worried about this weekend in the sense of them bringing them because we’ve been playing well on the road.”
This weekend’s matches are the only nonconference games outside of Bloomington remaining for the Hoosiers.
The roster is nearing full health
Freshman Lexi Kubas has missed matches this season due to injury, but she could play this weekend.
The Ellington, Connecticut, native is one of four true freshmen on the team. If she were to play Sunday, it’d be in her home state.
“I’m super excited,” Kubas said about Sunday’s match against Yale. “I get to see all of my family and a lot of my friends are going to come out and watch.”
IU still maturing
With only two weekends of nonconference play remaining, Big Ten matches are right around the corner for the Hoosiers.
And with such a new roster, continuing to gain experience is one of IU’s main goals in its upcoming matches.
“We have to keep maturing,” Azcui said. “We had a huge step at Navy. But, we have to do the little things a little bit better. I think the team knows that, and we’re going to keep emphasizing it in practice.”
IU opens Big Ten play onFeb. 28 at Northwestern. The Wildcats are 2-3, but have started the season with a tough schedule.
