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(11/06/03 6:07am)
The IU women's field hockey team enters this weekend's Big Ten tournament with its best record in school history, 8-9. One of the reasons for the Hoosiers' improvement this year has been simple; they have done a much better job at putting the ball in the back of the net.\nLast year the team totaled 22 goals for the entire season. Entering this weekend's tournament, the Hoosiers have already scored 31 goals. \nOne player that has led the offensive charge for the Hoosiers is freshman forward Lydia Schrott. Schrott enters the weekend tied for the team lead with six goals and leads the team with three assists. Included in the six goals this year is last weekend's game winner over the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes. Although she has already set the record for most points in a season by a Hoosier, Schrott believes her teammates have set her up well for several of her scores.\n"Like for me, it's not that I'm doing that much," Schrott said. "Basically, it's like (junior) Kayla (Bashore) or (sophomore) Mallory (Reabold) makes an amazing play, and so it seems that I'm at the right place at the right time, and it's not something spectacular all the time."\nIU coach Amy Robertson has been extremely impressed with the sudden impact of her freshman forward.\n"I knew Lydia was a very talented field hockey player," Robertson said. "I knew she was an all-around type of player, but I was very pleasantly surprised about her level of performances and how consistent she has been as a freshman. It's been really awesome." \nSchrott was recruited by the Hoosiers' assistant coach Gina Lucido. Lucido agrees with Robertson, as she also is pleasantly surprised with Schrott's play as a freshman.\n"I would say she has definitely been a pleasant surprise in the measure that she has impacted this team and this conference," Lucido said. "We knew how talented she was, and the potential she had, but sometimes the level of competition is difficult. But she has embraced fully everything that has been thrown at her. She is a fighter. She is skilled, and I have never seen anyone with a more competitive desire to win and have such a high work rate."\nSchrott and the rest of the Hoosiers will hope to keep the offense going this weekend, as they will face off against the No. 6 Michigan State Spartans in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. \n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Rosen at ajrosen@indiana.edu.
(10/29/03 5:36am)
In 2000, the IU athletics department decided to restart the women's field hockey program. After only four years, the team has made a complete 180 degree turnaround and has gone from a basic expansion team to a team that now contends on a regular basis with the best in the country. \nFifth-year seniors Molly Pulkrabek and Erica Nilsson are two of the original members. Pulkrabek originally came to IU to play soccer, but after some convincing by IU coach Amy Robertson Pulkrabek turned her sights toward the field hockey team.\n"Basically, first semester I quit the soccer team," Pulkrabek said. "(The soccer coaches) gave my name to Amy because she was looking for possible players. She e-mailed me telling me about the field hockey team, and I decided to try it out." \nSince joining the team, Pulkrabek has been a constant in the Hoosier defense. She has played in over 50 games in her IU career. Robertson said she is extremely pleased with Pulkrabek's improvement over the years.\n"Molly came into the program never playing the sport before," Robertson said. "She was completely raw, but her great athleticism and great reaction time helped her so much. She has just improved by leaps every single year."\nNilsson, on the other hand, had a lot of experience with field hockey. She was a three-year field hockey letter winner in high school. However, it was Nilsson's senior year of high school when she really got noticed. She was named "Illinois High School Field Hockey Player of the Year." Although she was recruited by many other schools, Nilsson elected to come to IU. \n"I was recruited in high school, and I came to IU knowing that they were starting a program here," Nilsson said. "I definitely missed playing field hockey freshman year, and I decided I missed it too much and I wanted to play." \nAlthough Nilsson had the chance to play at many other established programs, she is very happy with her decision to come to IU and start this program. \n"I often wonder what it would have been like to go to an established program, but looking back on it now, I still would have made the same decision," she said.\nRobertson said she believes Nilsson has played a key role in jump-starting the program. \n"Erica has been a leader since she began playing for us," Robertson said. "She has been voted captain of the team every season, and she has had a very positive influence and has shown others how to stay focused and relaxed during a game."\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Rosen at ajrosen@indiana.edu.
(10/24/03 6:43am)
The IU women's field hockey team will head east to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend to face off against the No. 18 Ohio State Buckeyes. The Hoosiers (7-6, 0-4 in the Big Ten) head into this weekend's match still looking for their first conference win of the season. On Sunday, the Hoosiers will return home for their final home game of the season against the Louisville Cardinals. \nSenior Molly Pulkrabek believes this is going to be a big weekend for the Hoosiers. \n"This is a big weekend for us. Last year the games against these two teams were real good," she said. "This weekend will help us determine where we are in the Big Ten standings for the Big Ten tournament." \nIn last year's matches between the Hoosiers and these two teams, IU recorded their first ever Big Ten win with a 3-2 win over the No. 20 Buckeyes. However, the Hoosiers were unable to beat the No. 9 Cardinals and fell in overtime 2-1.\nAlthough the Hoosiers played extremely well in both of those games, IU coach Amy Robertson doesn't want to compare last year's game to this year's. \n"As a rule I try not to compare teams from the year before," Robertson said. "Also, this is another really big weekend, but I know if we play as well as we can, we can beat any team in the country."\nIn last year's game against the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers got their goals from now-sophomores Nikki Orciuch and Mallory Reabold as well as senior Erica Nilsson. Nilsson is excited for her last home game at IU and she is hoping for a final home win. \n"I am real excited for the weekend," she said. "Both of the programs are very strong and we know we can compete with them and they are good competition. I believe if we play our game we will come out on top."\nThe game Sunday will be the culmination of a great careers for four Hoosier seniors. Pulkrabek, Nilsson, Ginna Irwin and Jamie O'Pray will be playing their final home game for the Hoosiers. Nilsson, Irwin and Pulkrabek have all been on the team since the inaugural season in 2000. All of the seniors have played key roles in starting the program. Nilsson has been a four-year captain for the team and currently holds the all-time record for goals by a Hoosier. Irwin has started all but one game since her freshman year and holds the record for most starts by a Hoosier with 61. Pulkrabek has also set some records of her own, as she currently holds the record for most shutouts in a season as well as being the only member in team history to be named "Defensive Player of the Week." O'Pray currently holds the team record for highest shooting percentage in a season.\nSaturday's game against the Buckeyes will begin at noon, and the final home game against Louisville Sunday will start at 1 p.m. at John Mellencamp Pavilion.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Rosen at ajrosen@indiana.edu.
(10/06/03 6:53am)
The IU field hockey team set another school record Sunday with its sixth win of the season over Kent State, 1-0.\nThe Hoosiers' (6-3) previous best record was last year when the team went 6-14. Senior Erica Nilsson believes the team has had a complete turnaround from when she started as a freshman.\n"Women's field hockey has done a 180 since my freshman year," Nilsson said. "We've grown as a team and we have great coaches, great recruits, and I'm really excited because we have half our season left and there's a lot more to come."\nThe Hoosiers started the weekend with a game against defending national runner-up Penn State. Although the Hoosiers got on the board first courtesy of a goal from freshman Lydia Schrott, the team was unable to hold the lead and lost 2-1. Even though the Hoosiers lost, Coach Amy Robertson said she was pleased with her team's play. \n"I am proud of the way we played tonight," Robertson said in a statement. "I am disappointed for the girls. They played hard and believed we could win, and never stopped playing. We had set out several goals for this game, and we accomplished all of them. We wanted to play smart and I think we did that. I am especially proud of the way sophomore Morgan Albini and Lydia played. I think this was their best performance yet." \nIn IU's second game against Kent State Sunday the Hoosiers scored the first and only goal of the game early in the second half. Nilsson was able to score off a cross from sophomore Lesley Wiler. \nAlthough Nilsson's goal was the only of the game, the biggest play of the game came with 16:30 left in the game. Kent State had a penalty corner and freshman Berber Rischen's shot went into the back of the net and looked to be the game-tying goal. However, the officials ruled that the shot was too high. \nRobertson believes the call was correct. \n"She made the right call." Robertson said. "Had she called that a goal I would have been on the field pretty quick. The ball cannot be lifted on a hit above the 18-inch board. And it was above the 18-inch board. That's just one of those things that it's tough for the officials to call I'm just glad she called it the right way."\nThat was not the last chance, however, for Kent State as with just two minutes left in the game the Golden Flashes had another opportunity to tie. Senior Molly Pulkrabek made several key saves to keep the shutout intact.\n"I was pretty calm coming into today's game." Pulkrabek said. "And it really helped at the end of the game to stay composed ... I was just trying to tell the team to stay composed and it allowed me to be in the right place at the right time to make the saves." \nThe Hoosiers will return to action this Friday, as they face off against the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor. IU will return home at 2 p.m. Sunday to take on Lindenwood.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Rosen at ajrosen@indiana.edu.
(10/01/03 6:04am)
Last year the IU women's field hockey team ended the season with a record of 6-13. \nAfter just seven games this year, the Hoosiers have almost already equaled their total wins as the team is currently 5-2. One of the main reasons for the team's success has been its defense.\nThe defense has pitched a shut-out in four of the seven games the Hoosiers have played this season.\nOne of the main reasons for the team's success this year has been the improved play of sophomore Morgan Albini. Coach Amy Robertson believes last year's experience has helped.\n"Morgan is very naturally athletic," Robertson said. "Last year she stepped right in and was an immediate contributor for us. This year the difference is she just has more experience and more confidence. She doesn't doubt herself, and with that athleticism and now that strength and confidence, she has just become a better player."\nAssistant coach Gina Lucido said she also believes Albini has made a significant improvement in her field hockey skills from last year to this year.\n"I think Morgan has always been really athletic, and she's very gifted that way," Lucido said. "But she has become much stronger on her possession skills and her tackling skills. She has become an attacking defender as well.\n"I said one of her greatest gifts is her athleticism and her speed and now not only is she a defensive threat, but when she comes up with the ball, she's jump-starting things into our attack. She's been so solid, and she's been working really hard and she has been such a strength and backbone part of our defense this year."\nLast year as a freshman, Albini was one of only five Hoosiers who started every game. One of the reasons she received so much playing time was her physical ability. However, this year she said she feels she has learned more of the mental side of the game.\n"This year I am so much more poised, I have so much more confidence, and the experience from last year has helped me so much with that," Albini said.\nAlbini and the rest of the defense hope to continue their solid play this weekend as they return home after playing in St. Louis last Sunday, to face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions at 6 p.m. Friday and the Kent State Golden Flashes at 1 p.m. Sunday.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Rosen at ajrosen@indiana.edu.
(09/26/03 6:32am)
The 19th ranked IU women's field hockey team heads back home this weekend after having to fend off both Hurricane Isabel and the Richmond Spiders last weekend in College Park, Md. The 4-1 Hoosiers are hoping to rebound this Friday as they begin their Big Ten season against the 5-3 Michigan State Spartans at 6 p.m. at Mellencamp Pavilion. \nCoach Amy Robertson is excited to get the Big Ten season under way.\n"Basically the most important thing that we prepare for is our conference," Robertson said. \n"It's great to have the success that we have had coming into our conference play, but this is what really counts. In our conference we really find out what we are made of and what we need to work on. This is what has made us better every year, playing in the Big Ten conference. This year we feel that we can play with anybody. All the teams are very good teams, but it's exciting because we definitely have a chance. Anything can happen."\nAssistant coach Gina Lucido said she is also excited about the upcoming game and believes pride will play a big role in this weekend's match.\n"One thing I have noticed is the pride that is in the conference, and it is very important to us," Lucido said. "We have not had tremendous success yet in our conference. We have been trying to make a statement with each game this season, but we really want to step out and say 'OK Big Ten, here we are,' and that there is a tradition that we are starting here, and we want people to take us seriously."\nThe Hoosiers have the opportunity this weekend to make a statement as the Spartans are currently ranked 8th in the nation with their only defeats coming against three of the top 15 teams in the country. \nLast year when the two teams faced off, the Spartans dominated the action as they won the game 5-1. However this year the Hoosiers have picked up their game, and sophomore Morgan Albini is ready to show that this weekend.\n"I'm really excited to prove what we got this year and show what we are made of, and I'm really excited to make a big impact in a big way," Albini said. \nThe Hoosiers will also head to St. Louis this Sunday as they will face off against the 0-8 Saint Louis Billikens at 12:30 p.m. The game on Sunday will be the first time all season that Saint Louis has played at home.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Rosen at ajrosen@indiana.edu.
(09/17/03 6:24am)
Last year the IU field hockey team scored 22 goals in a total of 19 games. The leading scorer for the Hoosiers last year was senior Erica Nilsson who scored five goals.\nIn just four games this year the Hoosiers totaled 14 goals, averaging three and a half per game. \nLeading the offensive charge for the Hoosiers has been junior co-captain Kayla Bashore who has already tied a school record with five goals on the season. Bashore has been able to score at least once in every game.\nCoach Amy Robertson said she is extremely happy with the improvement of her co-captain. \n"I think Kayla always takes it upon herself to improve her game," Robertson said. "She step-by-step continues to work on any weaknesses she has and I think this year the fact that she knows she has a better team around her allows her to step up and take more risks and play with even more confidence."\nAlthough Bashore has already almost doubled the three goals she scored last year, she believes her teammates are the reason for her increased scoring this year.\n"Well, compared to last year we have a lot more scoring opportunities," Bashore said. "Our offense is much more dangerous than it was last year. Just overall we've improved. We've increased our chances to score and we've increased our shots so it just makes sense that I would score more." \nBashore is correct when she says the team has increased its scoring chances as eight different Hoosiers have scored this season. Last year, after 19 games, the Hoosiers had only nine people that scored goals. \nOne person who has not been surprised by the Hoosiers offensive explosion is players Assistant Coach Reita Holmes.\n"This is not a surprise to me; she has been a work in progress every year. She has taken more shots. She has been improving and ... had a great summer," Holmes said. "This is not totally unexpected, but it is always a good thing to be racking up the goals and get some confidence going." \nBashore looks to keep her goal streak alive this weekend as the Hoosiers travel to Williamsburg, Va., Friday to face off against William and Mary.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Rosen at ajrosen@indiana.edu.
(09/10/03 6:10am)
Four games. 280 minutes. Four hours of field hockey.\nAnd the IU women's field hockey team has yet to give up a goal.\nThe Hoosiers defense has been led by two very different defenders. On one side there is freshman center back Morgan Miller who is extremely modest about her play and the honors that she has already received as a freshman, which includes being the first Hoosier to win the Big Ten defensive player of the week. \n"I really don't think it is an individual honor," Miller said. "It is hard for me to take (the award) and think it is just me, because it's not. I just see it as being in the right place at the right time and doing my role."\nOn the other hand there is outspoken senior goalie Molly Pulkrabek who already once this year has caught her coach's attention with her comments to the media about the first game of the season. \n"I have no doubt that we will match and beat these teams," Pulkrabek said. "I think we're a lot stronger team this year, and I think our level of play has increased a lot. So I think we're going to go out and kick their butts."\nOnly in her first year, Miller has already done two things that no other Hoosier had done before her. In the first game of the season she made two game-saving defensive stops and was rewarded by the Big Ten as co-defensive player of the week, becoming the first Hoosier ever to win the honor. Later in the week Miller was recognized on a more national level as she won womensfieldhockey.com's Rookie of the Week. \nPulkrabek has been very pleased with the way the freshman has played. \n"She is definitely a very bold player. She has definitely stepped up and I think she has played amazing," Pulkrabek said. "I am really impressed with what she has done, and she has definitely held it together back there." \nPulkrabek has not played too badly herself, though. She became the second straight Hoosier to win defensive player of the week in the Big Ten, something coach Amy Robertson is very happy about.\n"To have played four games and have no goals scored against us shows how determined our defense is to not allow the opponent to score," Robertson said. "This is a huge accomplishment for Molly and the entire team. Molly has played exceptional. There have been opportunities generated from our opponents to take good shots, and Molly had shut them down. She is very confident, competitive and very aggressive. She takes risks sometimes and they have paid off for her."\nThe defense is a big part of the reason why the Hoosiers jumped all the way up to 13th in the polls. This is the first time in team history that the Hoosiers have been ranked in the top 20. Robertson said she believes this is a big moment for the program. \n"This is the first time that Indiana has received recognition, and it means a lot to the whole team," she said. "We still have a whole season to play, and I hope to see us ranked in the end. We are going to use the No. 13 ranking as motivation for the players this week. It shows us how our hard work is playing off."\nRobertson hopes the motivation will still be there next week as the Hoosiers will take the weekend off and head to Williamsburg, Va., to face off against 18th ranked William and Mary. \n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Rosen at ajrosen@indiana.edu.
(09/05/03 6:21pm)
The IU women's field hockey team comes into its fourth season with extremely high hopes. Last year the team showed great improvement. It was even able to upset highly ranked Ohio State and fought extremely hard in a double overtime loss to 9th-ranked Louisville. With ten starters from last year's team returning, Coach Amy Robertson is very excited about her team's chances this year. \n"In our fourth season we will continue to make significant strides and build on the previous three years," Robertson said. "This has been a very exciting process because we keep moving forward and the improvement in our play and attitude has visibly jumped each season. For the first time, we have our entire core returning. Ten starters are back from last year, plus a very talented group of incoming freshmen."\nTwo of last year's returning starters are senior Erica Nilsson and junior co-captain Kayla Bashore. Last year Nilsson and Bashore were the top two point leaders on the team. Also returning is 5th-year senior goalie Molly Pulkrabek. Last year she led the entire Big Ten conference with 147 saves and had an outstanding save percentage, saving about four out of every five shots. \nWith two players leaving, Robertson did an excellent job of bringing in five outstanding freshman recruits, one of which has already started her first game. \nLydia Schrott, a four-year varsity letter winner is described by Robertson as, "a very versatile player who could see action for us in any position. She has athletic gifts plus the will to do anything to improve and to win games. She loves a challenge and is not afraid to put in the work to see how far she can go."\nThe Hoosiers also added lots of depth in their midfield with Jodi Murphy and Rachel Telian. Helping out the defensive side of the field will be April Levins and Morgan Miller. \n"We have grown very close as a team in the spring and have a focus and determination that is unrivaled from our past teams," Robertson said. "This group is capable of competing with any team in the country, and they will be exciting to watch."\nThe Hoosiers will have the chance to prove they can compete, as the team has one of the most difficult schedules in the nation -- a schedule that includes the defending national champions and the national runner-up.\nRobertson knows about the daunting task ahead with a schedule like this, however she believes her team is up to the challenge.\n"We will have our work cut out for us as we have put together a 2003 schedule that will challenge us every step of the way," Robertson said. "In addition to playing an extremely tough Big Ten schedule, we have added a game against defending national champion Wake Forest and four other top teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament last season. I believe for the first time we are truly ready for the level of competition we are going to face. We have come a long way since the beginning, and we are now capable of playing with any team in the country."\nContact staff writer Andrew Rosen at ajrosen@indiana.edu.
(09/05/03 6:58am)
The IU women's field hockey team heads up to Muncie today to face off against in-state rival Ball State.\nThe Hoosiers enter today's game with a 2-0 record after beating two Mid-American Conference teams, Central Michigan and Miami Ohio, last weekend to open up the season. Against Miami, the Hoosiers set several team scoring records including most goals scored in one game (7), two players set the record for most assists by one player in a game with two (senior Jamie O'Pray and sophomore Nikki Orciuch), and junior Kayla Bashore tied the team record for most goals in a game by an individual with two. \nLast year the Hoosiers faced off against Ball State twice, losing both games. Coach Amy Robertson is hoping for better results this year against the Cardinals.\n"We love playing Ball State. I think it's a real healthy rivalry," Robertson said. "I think they will bring out the best in us so far. They are an excellent team they are 2-0 in the first two games. It is kind of like the in-state bragging rights, so a lot is on the line in this game, and they had two victories against us last year and we would like to pay them back a little bit and leave Muncie with a victory."\nLast year in the two games, Ball State won 3-0 and 1-0 respectively, senior goalie Molly Pulkrabek, is looking for some revenge.\n"Yes (there is a revenge factor) I think Ball State is always our rival, I want to beat them, and we will see how it goes," she said.\nFreshman Morgan Miller who was Big Ten defensive player of the week is also excited about playing Ball State, but for a different reason.\n"I'm really excited to play Ball State this weekend, because they were one of the places I visited to play (field) hockey, so I am really excited to get to play against them," Miller said.\nThe Hoosiers will also clash with the Southwest Missouri State Bears in Muncie Saturday, a team that beat the Hoosiers two years ago. Robertson is looking forward to seeing the difference between her team from two years ago and the one that will face the Bears this weekend.\n"We haven't played Southwest Missouri State since 2001 and I look forward to seeing how much progress we have made as a team since we last played them," Robertson said.\nToday's game against Ball State will start at 3 p.m. at BSU Artificial Stadium, while tomorrow's game against Southwest Missouri State will be played at noon at BSU's stadium.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Rosen at ajrosen@indiana.edu.
(04/25/03 5:53am)
The IU men's tennis team entered Thursday's game against Northwestern on a seven match losing streak. After losing the doubles point to the Wildcats it looked as though the Hoosiers were about to drop another. \n"I was really disappointed with our doubles," interim coach Matt Pledger said. \nHowever, for the first time in nearly a month, the Hoosiers were able to refocus and win four straight singles matches for their first win since a 6-1 victory over Penn State on March 29. \n"I was pretty heated with the guys after the doubles point." Pledger said. "They came back by playing some of the best singles they played all year."\nLeading the charge for the Hoosiers was sophomore Jakub Praibis, the No. 1 singles player for IU. Praibis was able to get off the court in under an hour by winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-1. Pledger said he was very happy with Praibis' play.\n"Jakub was off the court quick," Pledger said. "I did not see much of his match, but from talking to him and some other people, he played outstanding tennis. The first time they met, he got beat pretty handily, so it was nice to see him put that behind him and realize today was a new day." \nJoining Praibis in the win column for the Hoosiers were seniors Zach Held and Petr Novotny and freshman Viktor Libal who came back from last weekend's injury to win in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. \nBy winning in the first round, the Hoosiers now have a rematch with the No. 1 team in the nation, the Fighting Illini of Illinois. The Hoosiers faced Illinois last weekend at home, but were unable to win a point in a 7-0 loss.\nPledger, however, said he believes his team has a shot to turn some heads against Illinois today. \n"The big thing with Illinois is to execute," Pledger said. "We get the opportunity to play the best team in the country, and we have nothing to lose. If we continue to play hard we will get some opportunities."\nEntering this weekend, Held said he knew that the team could have a chance to face off against the Fighting Illini. \n"There is no pressure on us and it would be a great way to end my career by going up there and pull off something unbelievable," he said. \nPraibis said he's looking forward to the high level of competition. \n"It's always interesting to play against the No. 1 team in the country," he said. \nThe match begins today at 10 a.m.
(04/24/03 5:20am)
The IU men's tennis team will head up to Evanston, Ill., today to face off against the Northwestern Wildcats in the first round of the Big Ten Championships. The Hoosiers, who are the eighth seed in the tournament, are looking for their second straight win against Northwestern, a team they beat earlier in the season in a closely contested 4-3 match.\nThe Hoosiers will have their hands full as Northwestern is the host of the Big Ten Championships giving them the advantage. IU enters today's match with a 3-7 record in the Big Ten and an 11-10 record overall. \nThe Hoosiers are currently on a seven-game slide and haven't won a match since March 29 when they beat Penn State at home 6-1. Interim coach Matt Pledger said the long road trips have hurt the Hoosiers.\n"We were on the road for seven weeks straight at one point this season, and that takes a toll on you after seven weeks," Pledger said.\nSophomore Jakub Praibis agrees with his coach and said the road trips have made the season longer.\n"It's tough to stay mentally focused with such a long season," Praibis said. "It's hard to prepare and concentrate for every match."\nAlthough the Hoosiers have dropped seven straight matches, Pledger said his team's performance against Illinois last week was a step in the right direction.\n"We need to just play with nothing to lose like we did last week against Illinois." Pledger said. "Tomorrow against Northwestern has to be a team effort. We've had times this year where certain guys have had great matches, and some guys don't show up." \nOne guy who showed up last week for the Hoosiers was Praibis, who lost a tough three-set match to the 14th ranked player in the nation, Illinois' Rajeev Ram. If the Hoosiers beat the Wildcats today, they will face the No. 1 ranked team in the nation the Illinois Fighting Illini at 10 a.m. Friday. Praibis said he is excited about the possibility of having a rematch against Ram. "Sure it is always interesting to play against the No. 1 team in the nation," Praibis said. \nToday's match could be the culmination of a great career for Hoosier senior Zach Held. Held said he is excited about his last Big Ten match.\n"I'm kind of looking forward to everything." Held said. "This is my last competitive match of my career. Looking back, it all seems to go by pretty fast"
(04/21/03 5:38am)
The IU men's tennis team left its home court for the last time of the season Saturday. But, unfortunately for the team, it was after its seventh straight loss.\nAlthough the Hoosiers dropped the 7-0 match to the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, Illinois, interim coach Matt Pledger said he was proud of his team's play.\n"Honestly, losing 7-0 today felt so much better than losing 6-1 to Purdue yesterday," Pledger said. "It was like a different team today because the guys played so tough. The only thing is that it should not take playing the No. 1 team in the country to get this type of effort. I am really proud of these guys because we have been in a slump lately with a lot of tough matches. It was good to see the guys play with as much energy and heart as they did today in a loss."\nAlthough the Hoosiers were unable to win a point against the Fighting Illini, the team did have its bright points as the No. 2 doubles team of sophomore Ryan Recht and freshman John Stone defeated the No. 6 ranked doubles team in the nation, Illinois' Michael Calkins and Amer Delic. Sophomore Jakub Praibis lost a hard fought singles match against the No. 14 player in the nation, Illinois' Rajeev Ram, who won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.\nWith the win, Illinois clinched the Big Ten title, accomplishing something Illinois coach Craig Tiley was very proud of. \n"It's great to clinch another Big Ten championship," he said. "Of course, we want to finish the job tomorrow (against Purdue), and we have goals beyond that."\nThe Hoosiers other match this weekend occurred on Friday as the team lost to rival and No. 50 ranked Purdue 6-1. \nThe lone win for the Hoosiers came from Recht, who beat the Boilermakers' Seth McKinley 7-6, 6-2 to account for the Hoosiers only point of the weekend. Purdue coach Tim Madden said he was pleased with his team's performance.\n"We played a great match from top to bottom today," Madden said. "Everyone came out focused and ready, and that clearly shows in the results. Usually we have one or two guys stand out in each match, but everyone gave it everything they had."\nThe Hoosiers will now prepare for Thursday when the team heads to Evanston, Ill., for the Big Ten Championships.
(04/03/03 5:56am)
The No. 23 men's tennis team heads into this weekend with an 11-4 overall record and a 3-1 record in the Big Ten. Although the Hoosiers are competing for the Big Ten title, the team is actually one of the youngest in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers currently have two freshmen, four sophomores and only two seniors in Zach Held and Petr Novotny.\nInterim coach Matt Pledger said he believes that, although the team is young, his seniors have really stepped up to the occasion. Pledger praised the development of Held into a position as a team leader.\n"Zach has offered a lot of advice to the young players," Pledger said. "He has been a great example of how you have to work day in and day out. It has been really nice working with him." \nHeld's doubles teammate, sophomore Ryan Recht, said the senior has helped him make the transition from high school to college tennis. \n"By being around him all the time since we play doubles together, I really notice his maturity on the court," Recht said. "He doesn't ever lose it on the court and he has really helped me adjust to playing college tennis."\nNovotny, on the other hand, is one of the most inexperienced seniors in the country as this is his first year of collegiate tennis. Pledger said he has been impressed with the way his first year senior has played.\n"Petr has showed a lot of maturity for a first year player and has battled out of tough situations very well for a first year player," he said.\nNovotny said he tries to be a good example for his teammates, even though some of the underclassmen have more experience. \n"This being my first year, I have really just tried to show a good example and fight during all of my matches," he said. \nThe two seniors will be back in action this weekend. IU travels to Michigan to take on the Wolverines Saturday and the Michigan State Spartans Sunday.
(11/20/02 4:42am)
For the first time since 1990 the IU women's cross country team is headed back to the NCAA Championship. On Sunday the Hoosiers finished fourth overall in their regional with the top two teams automatically advancing. Yesterday, however, the Hoosiers along with five other teams from the region were given at large bids to the NCAA Championship. \nFreshman Jessica Gall said in a statement she believes that competing against quality teams at regionals will help at nationals, \n"That helped things, helped ease the nerves," Gall said of the team's wait for the official at-large announcement. "When you do that well against so many teams in your region, you can't help but feel good about your chances."\nThe news of the Hoosiers making it to the NCAAs wasn't the only big news of the week as coach Judy Wilson gave birth to her first child on Sunday, the same day her team competed at regionals. Junior Audrey Giesler said she believes that Wilson had prepared the team well for the meet. \n"Coach Wilson decided the morning of the regional race that it was probably not a good idea for her to go to the meet," Giesler said in a press release. "I know it was really hard for her not to be there. But she had already prepared us to get where we are." \nOne of the primary goals the Hoosiers had at the beginning of the season was to make it to nationals. Now that they have gone that far, Gall said in a statement she thinks the team is ready for a very good race. \n"We're prepared for this," Gall said. "We're going to train smart, race smart and hopefully run well."\nThe race will be held in Terre Haute where the Hoosiers previously ran at the Pre-NCAA's on Oct. 19. The 6K race will begin at noon next Monday Nov. 25. \nFreshman Lindsay Hattendorf said she believes the Hoosiers will have an advantage because of where the race is held. \n"We've trained and competed on the course there," Hattendorf said, "so we can visualize key points of the race"
(11/01/02 5:50am)
At the beginning of the season the IU women's cross-country team had a vision -- a vision that the Hoosiers would make their first run at a Big Ten crown in more than a decade. Sunday at Purdue, the Hoosiers will try and make the vision a reality. \nJunior Becky Obrecht said she believes the team is up to the task. \n"This year's team came in with a vision, and it was obvious even during our first official workout back in August, that no one was willing to let the vision fade away and settle for anything less," Obrecht said. "We all want to win this weekend, and it's going to be a tough meet, but it makes it easier during the race when you know that their are eight other girls in Indiana uniforms hurting just as bad as you and running just as hard to bring home a championship." \nJunior Audrey Giesler agreed with her teammate's view on the weekend. \n"(The team) is definitely prepared," Giesler said. "We've been working towards this for awhile."\nThis Big Ten Championship, however, will not be void of the nation's top competition. Wisconsin is ranked No. 9 in the country and Michigan State, Michigan and Northwestern are all ranked nationally. \nThe competitive balance in the race is something coach Judy Wilson is looking forward to. But Wilson said she knows the competition will overtake her team unless the Hoosiers come to the race ready to run.\n"The team scores at the Big Ten will be much closer than in years past," Wilson said. "If MSU rebounds from the Pre-NCAA meet, and Michigan comes ready to run, it will be very close. We have run against Wisconsin twice, once at Notre Dame where we ran sub-par and the other was at Pre-NCAA where we were only 32 points behind in a 260-runner field. They are attainable if we have five who will go out and lay it all on the line." \nAlthough this weekend looms large for the Hoosiers, the race will be an important factor for other reasons. NCAA Regionals will also be held in West Lafayette, Ind. and Obrecht said she believes knowing the course could be a key factor.\n"Gaining familiarity with the course in general will help us mentally prepare for Regionals in two weeks, since we will know the terrain and have a better feel for how the course will run," Obrecht said. "It is always more relaxing racing on a course that you are more familiar with, especially when it comes down to crucial meets like Regionals when your nerves are more on edge"
(10/18/02 5:28am)
The No. 30 women's cross country team will head to Terre Haute Saturday in what looks to be one of the biggest events of the year, the Pre-NCAA's. The 6K invite will be held at the same site as the NCAA championships on Nov. 25 and coach Judy Wilson said the event should help get the Hoosiers acquainted with the course.\n"The initial purpose of the Pre-NCAA meet was for teams to get a chance to run on the NCAA course," Wilson said. "But in the last few years, with the system that allows for 13 teams to get at-large bids to the championship, we have to go to Pre-NCAA's to get a gauge of the national competition. Our region is tough this year, with seven teams ranked among the top 30 in the country."\nThe Hoosiers know this is the point of the year where they need to turn it up a notch and junior Becky Obrecht said the team is ready.\n"This is our shot to help secure an at-large bid when it comes down to selection time for who gets to go to Nationals, so it's essential that we race competitively and with the intent of beating some of these ranked teams," Obrecht said. "We've put in the miles and physically we're capable of running with any of these teams, so if we can step up to the line and run without any hesitations, then this could be a key meet for us."\nOne key to this weekend's meet will be the performance of freshmen Jessica Gall and Lindsay Hattendorf. Junior Audrey Giesler said it normally takes a couple meets for the freshmen to become adjusted and that the time has come for big performances.\n"I'm particularly excited for the freshmen now that they've gotten a few races under their belts," Giesler said.\nWilson said he also thinks the freshmen are ready for breakout performances. \n"Jessica (Gall) has been running workouts with Mindy, Audrey and Becky," Wilson said. "Physically, there is no difference between the four of them, but this is a whole new situation for Jess, and she is learning. Once Jess commits to "race" with them, she will find herself at an entirely new level." \nWilson added that Hattendorf is ready to bounce back from a hip injury she sustained earlier in the season.\n"(She) came into the pre-season holding her own with our top four," Wilson said. "She experienced a minor setback with her hip, but she is now coming around again and I think she will be where we need her for the big meets."\nIn the Hoosiers' last 6K meet, the Roy Griak Invitational at Minnesota, the Hoosiers finished fifth overall and averaged a time of 21:56 for the race.\nThis weekend's meet kicks off at 11 a.m. at Indiana State University.
(10/09/02 4:29am)
For many teams, there comes a point during a season when they either step up or stay at their current pace. Following their fifth place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational, coach Judy Wilson said it is definitely time for the women's cross country team to step it up.\n"Our top three or four runners need to step it up," Wilson said. "The good thing is that we were in the top five (at the Notre Dame Invitational), but it wasn't a stellar performance. The exciting part is that we're capable of a lot more when we have everyone on all cylinders." \nSophomore Mindy Peterson took her coaches sentiments to heart and is looking to do something about it, she said. \n"We are not satisfied, but are encouraged by the prospect of stepping it up," she said. "I plan on stepping it up by running right with Audrey (Giesler) and not allowing myself to drift back in the middle of the race." \nOne quality the Hoosiers have on their side in their attempt to step it up is potential with three underclassmen in their top five. The team has a "Fab Five" of juniors Giesler and Becky Obrecht, Peterson and freshmen Jessica Gall and Lindsay Hattendorf. \nGiesler said in order for the team to reach their goals they are going to have to heed Wilson's advice.\n"I think everyone on the team is in a position to step it up," Giesler said. "As a whole, no one really raced to their potential (at Notre Dame), and we're going to chalk it up to a mediocre performance to improve upon at Pre-NCAAs."\nLast year, the Hoosiers were in a similar situation. In last year's Notre Dame Invitational the team said it did not race to their potential. But, Giesler said there is one major difference between last year and this year: confidence. Giesler said the Hoosiers have the confident mentality to take it to the next level. \n"My mentality going into this season was completely different from any cross country meet I ran in last year," Giesler said. "I think we have transitioned from a team with hopes and aspirations to a team with realistic expectations"
(10/04/02 8:20pm)
For the last month there have been strong expectations from the women's cross country team. Apparently, the voters for the FinishLynx NCAA Women's Cross Country Poll are starting to listen. Earlier this week, the Hoosiers were ranked for the first time since 1990, as they moved to No. 27 in the nation after a strong showing and a fifth-place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational last week. \nMembers of the team said they were not surprised by the ranking. \n"You can tell from work-outs and the few smaller races that we've had so far that we're capable of competing at the national level," Junior Audrey Giesler said. "We just needed a bigger meet to start proving that to other people."\nIf the Hoosiers are looking to improve on that ranking they are going to have to keep pace this weekend with two of the top three teams in the nation. The Hoosiers face the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal and the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Notre Dame Invitational today.\nThe Hoosiers finished 8th overall out of 17 teams last year at the same event. But Giesler said this year the team is ready for the level of competition. \n"I'm very optimistic about (today)," she said. "Training has been going well for everyone, and it will be exciting to see how closely we can finish to some of the top ranked teams like Stanford and Notre Dame."\nThe Hoosiers last competed Sept. 28 at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn. The team finished in fifth place, but behind three top 10 teams. That invitational was a 6K race, but today's race will be 5K. The Hoosiers competed in a 5K race last at the Indiana Intercollegiates Sept. 20, where they finished in second.\nThe Hoosiers said they are hoping the course conditions at Notre Dame will lead to new personal bests for the team. Junior Becky Obrecht said the flat track along with the solid competition could ultimately help out the Hoosiers. \n"Notre Dame's course is flat and fast, so I think everyone is looking forward to a chance to run some personal bests," Obrecht said. "Also, the competition will be great, and I think going into the meet with a national ranking will give us confidence to know we can hold our own and run with anyone."\nSophomore Mindy Peterson said she thinks the time is now for the Hoosiers to show the rest of the nation what they're made of. \n"All of the girls are excited about these meets and we are ready to prove what we can do," Peterson said. "I think that this weekend is a key weekend for us and if we beat some ranked teams, that will help not only our confidence, but also our chances for a bid to nationals at the end of the year"
(09/13/02 5:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Leadership is a key ingredient in all aspects of sport, and to juniors Becky Obrecht and Audrey Giesler of the women's cross country team, leadership is something that comes with experience.
"In the last two years I've felt more comfortable stepping forward to voice my opinion and hopefully push my teammates in practice,"Giesler said.
Obrecht agrees with her teammate and thinks that their time as leaders of the team has arrived. "Although we sometimes joke about not feeling like we're upperclassmen yet, I know we both have the desire to see IU succeed and become a powerhouse in the Big Ten," Obrecht said.