Indiana men’s tennis looks to get back in the win column this weekend after falling 7-0 to Cornell University on Feb. 25.
The loss dropped the Hoosiers to 9-3 on the season and moved them back two spots to No. 54 in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
Indiana has struggled on the road to start the year, losing both of its matches away from the IU Tennis Center so far this season.
“It’s something we will have to learn how to do,” head coach Jeremy Wurtzman said after the loss to Cornell. “We have to be able to win tough matches on the road.”
To begin the weekend, the Hoosiers take on No. 64 Princeton University on Friday evening. Princeton is 6-7 this season and has only played three matches at home. The Tigers are 2-1 in those home matches.
The Hoosiers and the Tigers have two common opponents this season. They both lost on the road against Middle Tennessee University this season. The other common shared opponent is Cornell, the Hoosiers' most recent loss. Princeton kept it close with Cornell at the ECAC Championship, but ultimately lost 4-3.
“We’re going to have to be focused and ready to play,” Wurtzman said. “(Princeton) has played a lot of really good teams close.”
Also at the ECAC Championship, Princeton played the Hoosiers’ second opponent of the weekend, Yale University, beating them 6-1.
Yale is 5-3 on the season and is ranked No. 71 in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. Indiana and Yale have some familiarity with each other, both participating in the Duke Bonk Invitational back in September.
In the doubles draw at the Duke Bonk Invitational, junior Michael Andre and freshman Ekansh Kumar joined forces for the Hoosiers to defeat sophomores Luke Neal and Walker Oberg, 6-2. In the singles draw, junior Theo Dean took down Indiana’s fifth-year senior Partick Fletchall, 6-2, 6-3.
Last season, the Hoosiers defeated the Bulldogs at the IU Tennis Center 4-3.
“We know they’re going to be a tough team,” Wurtzman said. “No matter the result against Princeton on Friday, we have to be ready to play on Sunday.”
Both Indiana and Yale have 5-2 wins over Western Michigan University this year as well.
Indiana’s match against Princeton is scheduled for Friday, March 3 at 6 p.m. On Sunday, March 5, the Hoosiers match against Yale is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m.
