Indiana women’s tennis is looking to post its best season in years, and with the Hoosiers’ success in the nonconference slate so far, it is within reach. Indiana currently boasts an 8-1 overall record.
The Hoosiers are led by second-year head coach Gabrielle Moore. Moore played four years of collegiate tennis at Southern University and A&M College from 2012-15. She coached at Lake Forest College, Jackson State University, and most recently, McNeese State University before becoming Indiana’s head coach. She led McNeese to a program-record 20 wins during her final season at the helm in 2023.
Indiana posted an 8-15 record during Moore’s first season. It did, however, record more conference wins than the prior year and a winning record at home. Indiana finished with just six wins, no Big Ten victories and a losing record at home the season before Moore was hired.
This season, Moore and the Hoosiers currently sit at 8-1, with notable wins over the University of Cincinnati and Cornell University. Indiana opens Big Ten play against Purdue on March 7 in Bloomington.
Much of what Indiana has accomplished so far on the court can be attributed to a strong freshman class Moore brought in this season. The class is headlined by five-star recruits Hi’ilani Williams and Ameia Sorey, two of the top recruits from their class. Alessandra Teodosescu, one of the top recruits from Italy, rounds out the talented class. Williams and Teodosescu have become a dominant pair, and they currently headline the team as No. 1 doubles pairing.
Williams, an Oro Valley, Arizona, native, is one of the top players in the prep circuit. She was ranked as the No. 1 player in Arizona for her class and 28th nationally. Sorey is from Miami and was ranked as the No. 4 player in Florida and 22nd nationally. Teodosescu was named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list heading into this season.
As for the returning Hoosiers, senior Nicole Teodosescu and junior Elisabeth Dunac have provided strong play in both singles and doubles to start the season. Both have contributed greatly to the team’s success so far, sporting winning records in doubles and singles and bringing experience to a relatively young and inexperienced roster.
The Big Ten is loaded with talent throughout the conference this year. Ohio State currently paces the conference with a 8-1 overall record and 1-0 record in conference play. Maryland is 7-1, Washington is 7-0, and Wisconsin is 7-2. Indiana will face Maryland, Ohio State and Wisconsin later this spring.
To continue being successful, Indiana has to get off to a stronger start in conference play. It has a combined six wins in conference play over the past three years, and that has resulted in them finishing in the bottom half of the conference. If they are able to split the conference set this year, the Hoosiers have a great chance to finish with a winning record and position themselves well for the Big Ten Tournament.
Indiana has two more games on its nonconference slate — the University of Illinois Chicago and Chicago State University on Feb. 27— before it begins Big Ten play against in-state rival Purdue on March 7.
