Indiana men’s tennis is 12-10 on the season and 1-4 in Big Ten play. This weekend, Indiana has two more ranked Big Ten opponents to play in No. 6 Michigan and No. 69 Michigan State.
The Hoosiers have been outstanding at home this year, 11-3, but underwhelming on the road, just 1-7.
On the road is where Indiana’s two most recent matches came as the Hoosiers were defeated by Nebraska on April 7 and Wisconsin on April 9 — two ranked opponents — bringing the Hoosiers record against ranked opposition to 0-10.
“We’ve played a lot of tough competition,” head coach Jeremy Wurtzman said Monday. “There’s a reason these teams are all ranked, they play high level tennis every match.”
The Wolverines come to Bloomington to take on the Hoosiers at noon Saturday. Michigan will enter the match with Indiana 18-3, 4-1 in the conference and fresh off a loss at home against No. 2 Ohio State. Two of the Wolverines’ three losses this season have come against the Buckeyes — the first of those two meetings was not a conference match. The other loss was against No. 1 Texas.
“(Michigan) is competing for a national championship this year,” Wurtzman said. “With that being said, we can’t go into the match with a mindset that we’ve already lost.”
The Wolverines have defeated seven ranked opponents, including three teams in the top 10. Michigan has also been ranked inside the top 10 in all 13 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s polls this season.
Indiana’s second opponent of the weekend, Michigan State, visits the IU Tennis Center for a match at noon Sunday.
The Spartans are 1-4 in Big Ten play and just 8-11 overall. Michigan State played two home matches last weekend, losing to Ohio State on April 7 and beating Penn State on April 9.
“We can’t look at the record,” Wurtzman said. “They’ve played a tough schedule and are a capable tennis team.”
Like the Hoosiers, the Spartans have struggled on the road all season long, winning just one match away from East Lansing. That win came March 12 against No. 64 Drake.
The match on Sunday against the Spartans will also serve as Senior Day for the Hoosiers. Following the match against Michigan State, fifth-year seniors Patrick Fletchall, Mac Rogers and Carson Haskins, along with senior Luka Vukovic, will be recognized.
“They’ve meant a lot to this program over the years,” Wurtzman said. “They’ve given us great leadership on and off the court.”
This weekend’s matches mark the last time the Hoosiers will play at the IU Tennis Center in the regular season. The Hoosiers close out the regular season with two away matches April 22 and April 23 before returning to Bloomington to host the Big Ten Tournament beginning April 27.
