The weekend on the road ended with two Big Ten losses for IU men’s tennis, as the team fell to Penn State and No. 7 Ohio State. The Hoosiers are now 2-4 in conference play.
On Saturday, IU lost 4-3 versus Penn State. The following day, it was swept 7-0 by No. 7 Ohio State.
IU managed to snag a quick lead at Penn State, capturing the doubles point early on. Graduate student Bennett Crane and freshman Michael Andre won at No. 1 doubles 6-4, while freshman Ilya Tiraspolsky and graduate student William Piekarsky won No. 3 doubles 6-2. Senior Andrew Redding and junior Patrick Fletchall’s match at No. 2 doubles was left unfinished.
“It was a match that came down to the wire,” head coach Jeremy Wurtzman said. “We got the doubles point up on the board pretty quickly, but it turned after that a little bit. There was a lot of pressure, and it was just a different environment than maybe we’re used to.”
Redding won his fourth Big Ten dual match of the season, securing a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles. Sophomore Luka Vukovic also won his fourth dual match at No. 5 singles, going 6-3, 6-0.
Crane, who was preseason ranked No. 48, fell 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 at No. 1 singles. Juniors Vikash Singh and Carson Haskins also lost at No. 3 and No. 4 singles. The deciding match came to No. 6 singles, where Andre fellto fifth-year senior Tim Ruetzel in two sets.
IU traveled to Columbus to take on Ohio State the next day. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 7 in the nation, were quick to take advantage of the Hoosiers and execute a dominant 7-0 performance.
Crane and Andre fell 6-1 at No. 1 doubles, and Piekarsky and Tiraspolsky lost 6-4 at No. 3 doubles. The No. 2 doubles match with Fletchall and Redding remained unfinished.
“We knew that playing Ohio State was going to be a tough task with how good they are,” Wurtzman said. “Again, I thought our doubles were really good, but they were a little too much for us in singles.”
Ohio State’s players for No. 1, 2 and 3 singles were all ranked in the top 25. No. 48 Crane lost to No. 11 John McNally 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 singles. Redding fell to No. 5 Cannon Kingsley 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 singles. Luka Vukovic, at No. 3 singles, was picked off by No. 25 Kyle Seelig 6-2, 6-3.
Both Fletchall at No. 5 singles and Tiraspolsky at No. 6 singles lost in two sets. The No. 4 singles match with Andre was retired.
“I think it’s a good opportunity that we get to play these teams twice, and we got a good flavor of what to expect next time when we play them,” Wurtzman said. “Overall, I was pleased with the effort.”
IU returns home next weekend to play in-state rival Purdue on March 13. The Hoosiers will look to continue a four-match win streak against the Boilermakers.
“I think our mindset is already focused in on Purdue,” Wurtzman said. “It’s a match that we look forward to playing every year, and I’m excited that we get to play them at home this weekend.”
