Indiana women’s tennis won against Rutgers 6-1 on Friday and lost 4-3 to Maryland on Saturday at home. The Hoosiers are now 9-5 this season and 1-2 in the Big Ten conference.
In Friday’s doubles, No. 3 redshirt juniors Alexandra Staiculescu and Xiaowei "Rose" Hu won 6-2.
No. 1 doubles sophomore Lara Schneider and graduate student Saby Nihalani won 6-3.
At No. 2, redshirt junior Mila Mejic and freshman Nicole Teodosescu were tied 5-5 but the game went unfinished because the Hoosiers took the doubles point.
For the singles, the Hoosiers won four straight to take the win.
Back in the lineup, No. 6 Hu won 6-1 and 6-1 and was followed by Nihalani, winning at No. 2 7-5 and 6-4.
No. 5 Teodosescu won 7-5, 4-6 and 6-4 to clinch the win for the Hoosiers.
Despite the win, No. 4 Mejic won 6-2, 5-7 and 6-4, and No. 1 Schneider won 6-3, 2-6 and 7-5.
Indiana’s only loss against the Scarlet Knights came at No. 3 with Staiculescu losing 3-6, 7-5 and 6-4.
Indiana won the series against Rutgers 6-1 after Friday’s matchup.
On Saturday, Indiana fell to Maryland 4-3.
In the doubles, No. 1 Schneider and Nihalani lost 6-2, only their third loss this season. The double is now 9-3 overall.
No. 3 Staiculescu and Hu lost 6-3, giving the doubles point to the Terps. The No. 3 double’s three-game winning streak snapped, and they fell to 6-3 this season.
At No. 2, Mejic and Teodosescu were down 2-5 but the game went unfinished because the Terps took the doubles point.
For the singles, Indiana started behind after No. 4 Staiculescu lost 6-3 and 6-2 but came back with No. 5 Teodosescu winning 6-1 and 6-4. The No. 5 is 4-3 this season but only 1-2 in the Big Ten.
No. 2 Nihalani lost 6-1 and 6-4, only her second loss this season. She is now 9-2 overall.
To bring the Hoosiers back to the game, No. 3 Mejic won 7-6 (7-3) and 6-3. Mejic is 9-5 this season and on a 2-game winning streak.
No. 1 Schneider kept the momentum and won 6-2, 3-6 and 7-5, improving to 8-2 overall and keeping an impressive seven-game winning streak.
Playing for the win, No. 6 Hu lost 5-7, 6-3 and 6-4.
Indiana is now 6-4 against Maryland and hasn’t won against the Terrapins since 2019.
Indiana will play University of Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Friday, March 17.
Follow reporter Leo Paes (@Leordpaes) for updates throughout the match and the rest of the Indiana women’s tennis season.
