Cold weather around the country turned what was supposed to be a doubleheader for Indiana men's tennis into a match against the University of Virginia on Friday and a cancellation Saturday morning.
The Hoosiers faced their second top-ranked team in a row, this time going up against the No. 2 Cavaliers. Virginia was coming off two blowout wins against No. 5 Texas Christian University and the No. 4 University of Texas at Austin. Meanwhile, Indiana was coming off a 1-6 loss against No. 7 Mississippi State University and was looking to bounce back.
Sophomore Matteo Antonescu and his doubles two partner graduate student Michael Andre lost their match 4-6 to start the day. They couldn’t win crucial points down the stretch of the match, giving the Cavaliers momentum from the beginning.
Redshirt junior Facundo Yunis and sophomore Braeden Gelletich’s match was a different story. Bringing multiple games to deuce, they had chances to take over but couldn’t get clutch points to stay in play. The Hoosier duo ultimately fell 2-6. This ended doubles play for the day, giving the Cavaliers the point while doubles one teammates redshirt junior Sam Landau and senior Jip van Assendelft’s match was left unfinished after leading 5-3.
The top of the singles team looked promising throughout the duration of their matches, but singles one and three didn’t get a chance to finish because the Cavaliers had quickly put an end to the Hoosiers 4-1. Without the Cavaliers’ doubles point, the singles one and three results would have been the decider for who would’ve won.
Redshirt freshman Aidan Atwood won games in both sets but was first to finish his singles match, losing 3-6, 2-6. The Cavaliers led 2-0 and needed just two more wins to end the day.
But junior Ben Pomeranets had other plans. He stole a game in the first set against the Cavaliers singles five player and dominated with his serve in the second set. He painted the lines and hit winners en route to a 6-4, 6-1 victory, putting pressure on Virginia.
Singles four Gelletich and singles two van Assendelft’s matches mirrored each other. They couldn’t win a non-service game, and their opponents capitalized on their mistakes. They both made some games close, playing multiple deuces, but the Cavaliers put the Hoosiers away winning both matches 6-3, 6-4.
No. 105 Landau and Yunis were in heated matches left unfinished. Landau lost the first set against No. 16-ranked junior Dylan Dietrich in a close tiebreaker and was winning the second 4-1. Landau continues to be a bright spot for the Hoosiers along with Yunis, whose match ended tied 1-1 in sets, but the Hoosiers couldn’t get it done for the second week in a row.
Their match against Cornell University scheduled for Jan. 24 was canceled due to weather and will not be rescheduled, giving the Hoosiers an extra day of rest as they prepare for matches against Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Toledo on Feb. 1 at the IU Tennis Center in Bloomington.
