IU men’s tennis will square off against Wisconsin on Friday and Minnesota on Sunday as the team continues its season of Big Ten dual matches.
On Friday, IU will travel to Madison, Wisconsin to compete against the Badgers in the Wisconsin Outdoor Tennis Stadium. The match is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m.
“Wisconsin is difficult to play on their home courts, so we know that it’s going to be a tough match,” head coach Jeremy Wurtzman said. “Going into it we have our hands full for a very competitive match, but we’re confident that we can come away with four wins if we play well.”
IU heads into the match with a two-match win streak. The Hoosiers lead the all-time series with an overall record of 50-28.
The team traveled to Wisconsin earlier this season, meeting the Badgers in January at the Badger Invitational. Wisconsin posts a 3-6 Big Ten conference record.
[Related: IU men’s tennis opens season with Badger Invitational]
IU will then head to Minneapolis on Sunday to face Minnesota. The match will be played in the Baseline Tennis Center and tip off at 1:30 p.m.
“Minnesota is very similar to Wisconsin — they’re another team that’s very difficult to play at their home courts,” Wurtzman said. “We’ve had some very close matches with them over the last few years, and we know their team well. It’s going to be a competitive match.”
The Hoosiers seek to end a two-match loss streak against the Gophers. Minnesota leads the all-time series, holding a 49-30 record over IU.
Minnesota has a 5-4 conference record. The Gophers also have the No. 4 nationally ranked doubles team, Siim Troost and Vlad Lobak, which is 10-2 this season.
“They’re both going to be great college matches,” Wurtzman said. “And a positive thing is that it looks like at least one match is going to be outdoors. When you’re on the road, you kind of hope to play outdoors rather than in an indoor building.”
IU is looking at its final stretch of the season before the Big Ten Tournament arrives April 29. The Hoosiers have a 3-5 conference record and have seven Big Ten dual matches remaining.
“I’m hoping that we rally together and look to make a little bit of a run here at the end,” Wurtzman said. “I think there’s a lot of teams that we can be really successful against and get some good wins, so we’re looking forward to that.”
