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(01/30/14 7:54pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s tennis team (1-2) will play competitive matches in Bloomington for the first time this season. No. 57 IU returns home to face No. 35 North Carolina State (3-1) and unranked Eastern Kentucky (1-2) Friday.IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal acknowledged the challenge that this match poses for his young team, especially against the Wolfpack.“They’re going to be tough. They’re well coached, and I have a lot of respect for their program,” Coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “They play well from top to bottom, and they are going to play really solid doubles against us.”The Wolfpack have four singles players ranked in the top 100 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. In comparison, the Hoosiers have just one, junior Sven Lalic.Also, Bloemendaal has emphasized all season the importance of winning the doubles point. This may be difficult on Friday as the Wolfpack have yet to lose that point all season.“They’re going to be confident, a little more confident than what we are at this point,” Bloemendaal said. “I don’t think that they’re better, but I think that they’re going to be more confident.”Bloemendaal is still optimistic about his team’s chances in doubles despite the talent on the other side of the net.“We’re very young all the way around,” Bloemendaal said. “I think that eventually this team will define itself as a good doubles team. I see it here and there in practice, but it hasn’t quite come out yet.”Last year, IU lost 4-3 at NC State, a result the Hoosiers are hoping to change this year.“It was a close loss,” sophomore Daniel Bednarczyk said. “I know that everyone who was part of that wants to get revenge, and I can guarantee that everyone is working their ass off to prepare for this weekend.”Bloemendaal also recognized that those who were involved in that match last year need to lead the way — not just in this match, but all year. In particular is IU’s lone senior Dimitrije Tasic.“I think Dima will be somebody who is going to help lead the way all year long,” Bloemendaal said. “I think that in this program, our seniors always play extremely well every year. I’m expecting him to have his best year. He’s starting to show signs of that.”Bloemendaal discussed the team’s trip to Charlottesville, Va., last week. While in Virginia, IU went 1-1, losing to the defending national champions and top team in the nation.He emphasized that the team was not blown away by talent against Virginia, and it showed him how talented his team can be.“We will not have mismatches as far as talent goes out there,” Bloemendaal said. “It’s really just learning from what we went through last weekend, and getting a clearer vision of what we’ve got to do on the court to contribute to the team.”Bloemendaal praised Eastern Kentucky’s talent level, saying they might be as good as NC State.“If you watch them warm up, you’ll notice that you don’t see a difference between them and NC State,” Bloemendaal said. “Actually, they’ll probably have a couple guys who hit the ball better.”He said this match might be a gut check and a learning experience for his young team.“In tennis, you have to learn how to allow people to lose the match,” he said. “One thing I tell the guys all the time is that the most important person on the court is the guy across the net. You want to think it’s you, but it’s really the guy across the net.” Bloemendaal said these matches will go a long way in defining who this team might be this year and how good they might be.“This is really one of the measuring sticks,” he said. “We’ve moved forward this season, and I think that this is going to be a really big test for us. Physically, we’re as good as them — no doubt about it. The question is if we’re going to start defining ourselves as a contender.”
(01/28/14 5:05pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When Daniel Bednarczyk and Sam Monette first met at 11 years old, they were rivals on the Canadian junior tennis circuit. Almost a decade later and hundreds of miles away, the two sophomores have created a formidable doubles pairing for the IU men’s tennis team.In Canada, the two players competed against each other more than a handful of times, Bednarczyk said, adding Monette holds the head-to-head advantage between the two.Despite this early connection, the pair’s decision to attend IU together was a coincidence.“Danny took his recruiting trip a week before me, and we weren’t talking at this moment,” Monette said with a grin. After taking his recruiting trip, Monette announced on Facebook he would be an Indiana Hoosier.“Danny messaged me and said that he had just signed, too,” he said. “It was a complete surprise.”Both players’ decisions to come to IU were rooted in their Canadian heritage.Jeremy Langer, an IU alumnus and native of Canada, was the deciding factor in Bednarczyk’s choice to become a Hoosier.Isade Juneau, a former member of both the IU men’s tennis team and alumnus of George-Vanier High School, Monette’s alma mater, convinced Monette to make the trip south.Monette and Juneau were doubles partners last year before Monette and Bednarczyk joined.Bednarczyk and Monette are not only working together on the court, but are also teaming up to keep the Canadian pipeline to IU flowing.“We have two Canadians coming next year,” Monette said. “We are just trying to keep the pipeline going, and just try to get the best Canadians to come here.”Since arriving at IU, the two have re-kindled their friendship and are now roommates. They both point to this friendship as a big part of their success on the court.“We’re so close with each other, Sam and I,” Bednarczyk said. “We live together, and that also helps our relationship. We’ve traveled numerous times around the world together through juniors. It just helps so much on the court and you can see it just by looking at us.”Monette said the chemistry between the two has the ability to propel them past the competition.“We have the potential to not only be the best on the NCAA circuit but also as pros,” Monette said. “Travel around the world and do the (Association of Tennis Professionals) maybe after college. Me and Danny have both been there, we’ve both seen what the double level is and I think we’re really close.”Despite their professional aspirations, contributing to the team’s success is still their primary goal.“The most important thing is getting our team that doubles point,” Bednarczyk said. “No matter where or who we play in doubles, I know that Sam and I are capable of helping out the team get that doubles point. It can be such a big influence on the momentum in the match.”Starting this year, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association has introduced a new experimental scoring format. In this format, doubles matches have been shortened so a team needs to win only six games rather than the original eight to win the match.Monette acknowledged the duo’s propensity for fast starts as a big advantage for them with the new format.“When we play in doubles I think that we can be intimidating to the other team,” Monette said. “We usually have a solid start, so the fact that there is only six games this year, I think it’s an advantage for us. We usually have really fast starts, and like Coach says, we only need 10-15 minutes of great tennis to win.”IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said when he watches the partners play, he cannot help but notice the high levels of intensity they bring.“It’s just a really good relationship between the two of them, especially on the court,” Bloemendaal said. “When one’s not playing well the other picks him up and they just trust each other out there.”This energy on the court is not lost on the two. Bednarczyk said all the positive energy comes naturally because of how close the two are.“Positive emotions just come through a good relationship,” Bednarczyk said. “We both want to be in that big moment and want to take that shot at a specific time.”Monette echoed Bednarczyk’s opinion that positivity is second nature for the pair.“When we go on the court and play together, we’re just having fun,” Monette said. “It’s much easier to be positive because we have such a good relationship.”The pair also tries to use that energy to fuel the rest of the team.“We give energy to the rest of the team,” Bednarczyk said. “It’s so important for No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to be able to look on our court and be able to believe that we’re going to get through our match, no matter if we’re down or up. Showing positive emotions, it gives belief within the team.”Monette said he feels every player must take a leadership role on a young Hoosiers team.“On match day, I think a lot of people look at what we do and we give a lot of energy,” Monette said. “I think our job as leaders is to bring energy and try to make people around us positive.”
(01/27/14 4:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After defeating No. 65 Samford on Friday, No. 56 IU fell to Virginia, the top-ranked and defending national champion.A win against Virginia would have advanced the Hoosiers to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. An appearance had the potential to change men’s tennis at Indiana, Coach Randy Bloemendaal said.The loss dropped the Hoosiers to 1-2 on the spring season and saw the Hoosiers fail to win a single set against the Cavaliers. This was the second time in as many days Virginia did not lose a set.The Hoosiers came out tight to start doubles play, something that Bloemendaal feared would happen.“We addressed it a lot before the match, but it’s one of those situations where the more you’re in it as a team, the better you get at it,” Bloemendaal said. “It’s a big crowd on the road against the number one team in the country, and we were a little tight.”Bloemendaal did praise the singles performances of half of his team Saturday.“I thought Elliott (Yee), Stefan (Lugonjic) and Dima (Dmitrije Tasic) did a great job all day long,” Bloemendaal said. “When they were behind, they looked like the better player.”Freshman Lugonjic’s performance in particular caught Bloemendaal’s eye.“His upside is really, really good,” Bloemendaal said. “Physically, he can hang with pretty much anyone in the country, especially at the lower positions.”Lugonjic won his match against Samford in straight sets before playing a very tight match against a top 100-ranked player from Virginia on Saturday.Bloemendaal said they see Lugonjic as a future all-Big Ten player.Despite Lugonjic’s performance, Bloemendaal said he was upset at how the other half of his lineup played against Virginia.“Some of the guys just didn’t handle the pressure at all,” Bloemendaal said. “Sven (Lalic) I think had some things going against him with some bad luck. I think he played okay, but it really should have been a much tighter match.”Lalic, a junior, lost in straight sets to the third-best singles player in the country, Mitchell Frank.Bloemendaal also expressed disappointment in sophomores Daniel Bednarczyk and Sam Monette.“I didn’t think they handled the pressure well the whole day,” Bloemendaal said. “Honestly, they were the better team on the doubles court, and we played from behind all day long.”The doubles partners not only lost for the first time this spring in doubles, but also both lost in singles.“It’s definitely concerning that they didn’t handle the big situation better,” Bloemendaal said. “They’ve both been in the program a year, and the expectations were that they would handle that a little bit better.”Bloemendaal did not mince words regarding the two sophomores, calling Saturday their worst performances all year, including the fall season.While the Hoosiers did not play well on Saturday, the coach said he still considered the weekend a success.“I think we moved forward,” Bloemendaal said. “We went into the weekend with a lot of tangible goals and a lot of intangible goals.”Bloemendaal also emphasized the overall talent of Samford, a team the Hoosiers dispatched with relative ease by a score of 6-1.The Hoosiers consist of just four upperclassmen, one of whom is a senior, and 10 underclassmen. Bloemendaal said he thinks this team is only going to get better than they are right now. The only question is how much better.“These guys go out and work their tails off every day to get better, and they are getting better,” Bloemendaal said. “They’re learning how to deal with situations. The more they learn and the more resilient they become, it’ll become clearer on the outside how good this team could be.”The next opportunity to see this growth will be Friday, when the Hoosiers return home to play a double header against North Carolina State and Eastern Kentucky.Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter @MichaelHughes94.
(01/27/14 4:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After defeating No. 65 Samford on Friday, No. 56 IU fell to Virginia, the top-ranked and defending national champion.A win against Virginia would have advanced the Hoosiers to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. An appearance had the potential to change men’s tennis at Indiana, Coach Randy Bloemendaal said.The loss dropped the Hoosiers to 1-2 on the spring season and saw the Hoosiers fail to win a single set against the Cavaliers. This was the second time in as many days Virginia did not lose a set.The Hoosiers came out tight to start doubles play, something that Bloemendaal feared would happen.“We addressed it a lot before the match, but it’s one of those situations where the more you’re in it as a team, the better you get at it,” Bloemendaal said. “It’s a big crowd on the road against the number one team in the country, and we were a little tight.”Bloemendaal did praise the singles performances of half of his team Saturday.“I thought Elliott (Yee), Stefan (Lugonjic) and Dima (Dmitrije Tasic) did a great job all day long,” Bloemendaal said. “When they were behind, they looked like the better player.”Freshman Lugonjic’s performance in particular caught Bloemendaal’s eye.“His upside is really, really good,” Bloemendaal said. “Physically, he can hang with pretty much anyone in the country, especially at the lower positions.”Lugonjic won his match against Samford in straight sets before playing a very tight match against a top 100-ranked player from Virginia on Saturday.Bloemendaal said they see Lugonjic as a future all-Big Ten player.Despite Lugonjic’s performance, Bloemendaal said he was upset at how the other half of his lineup played against Virginia.“Some of the guys just didn’t handle the pressure at all,” Bloemendaal said. “Sven (Lalic) I think had some things going against him with some bad luck. I think he played okay, but it really should have been a much tighter match.”Lalic, a junior, lost in straight sets to the third-best singles player in the country, Mitchell Frank.Bloemendaal also expressed disappointment in sophomores Daniel Bednarczyk and Sam Monette.“I didn’t think they handled the pressure well the whole day,” Bloemendaal said. “Honestly, they were the better team on the doubles court, and we played from behind all day long.”The doubles partners not only lost for the first time this spring in doubles, but also both lost in singles.“It’s definitely concerning that they didn’t handle the big situation better,” Bloemendaal said. “They’ve both been in the program a year, and the expectations were that they would handle that a little bit better.”Bloemendaal did not mince words regarding the two sophomores, calling Saturday their worst performances all year, including the fall season.While the Hoosiers did not play well on Saturday, the coach said he still considered the weekend a success.“I think we moved forward,” Bloemendaal said. “We went into the weekend with a lot of tangible goals and a lot of intangible goals.”Bloemendaal also emphasized the overall talent of Samford, a team the Hoosiers dispatched with relative ease by a score of 6-1.The Hoosiers consist of just four upperclassmen, one of whom is a senior, and 10 underclassmen. Bloemendaal said he thinks this team is only going to get better than they are right now. The only question is how much better.“These guys go out and work their tails off every day to get better, and they are getting better,” Bloemendaal said. “They’re learning how to deal with situations. The more they learn and the more resilient they become, it’ll become clearer on the outside how good this team could be.”The next opportunity to see this growth will be Friday, when the Hoosiers return home to play a double header against North Carolina State and Eastern Kentucky.Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter @MichaelHughes94.
(01/25/14 2:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers will take on Virginia Saturday following their victory over Samford on Friday. The winner will advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.No. 56 Indiana dispatched No. 65 Samford with relative ease. The Hoosiers beat the Bulldogs 6-1, while winning four out of six singles matches in straight sets.Wining the doubles point was something that was emphasized by Coach Randy Bloemendaal before the tournament. The Hoosiers won the doubles point through victories by Sam Monette/Daniel Bednarczyk and Dimitrije Tasic/Sven Lalic.“Anytime you win the doubles point it is huge, but especially in this new shortened format it makes a big difference with momentum,” Bloemendaal said. “It got us off to good start in singles and it helped us come out with some good energy.”Fellow sophomores Monette and Bednarczyk also both continued their strong spring seasons on Friday. The two partnered for a 6-2 doubles victory before they both won their singles matches in straight sets.The two have yet to lose a doubles match during the spring season.“They have really good chemistry on the court,” Bloemendaal said. “They’re roommates, they get along great, and they grew up together playing in the same tournaments.”Bloemendaal continued on to talk about how the duo’s relationship with one another propels them over their competition. “It’s just a really good relationship between the two of them especially on the court,” Bloemendaal said. “When one’s not playing well the other picks him up and they just trust each other out there.”The Hoosiers will need that trust and chemistry on Saturday where they will face a tougher opponent.They will now play the defending national champions and current No. 1 team in the nation at their home arena.“They’re great from top to bottom,” Bloemendaal said. “They’re a really good team and playing them at their place is going to be a tough experience.”In addition to that depth, Virginia also boasts the third best singles player in the country in junior Mitchell Frank. Frank also combines with sophomore Mac Styslinger to form the 32nd best doubles pairing in the country.The Cavaliers dismissed Elon 7-0 without losing a set all day.One player who could play a huge factor in Saturay’s match is Monette.Even though Monette won in straight sets today, Bloemendaal still believes he has more to offer.“I still think he’s got another gear or two,” Bloemendaal said. “He played a very tight match today, very average for him. When a guy can win and play like that, you’re going to be a special player.”Bloemendaal also emphasized that the Hoosiers stay focused on Saturday, and not to think too much about the potential impact of a victory.“I think these opportunities have to ability to change the paradigm of your program very quickly, and our guys are excited about it,” Bloemendaal said. “Really we just don’t want the moment to take over and get in the way of our emotions and what we’re thinking out on the court.”This is not to say that Bloemendaal does not recognize what a victory here might mean for the program.“This is something that could really change the course of what we’re trying to do at Indiana.”The Hoosiers play Virginia Saturday night at 6 PM for a berth in the ITA National Indoor championships.Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter @MichaelHughes94
(01/24/14 4:45pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 56 IU men's tennis team will compete in Charlottesville, Va., in an Intercollegiate Tennis Association kickoff event starting Friday. The other schools competing in this will be No. 65 Samford, No. 46 Elon and the defending national champions, No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers.The Hoosiers will start with action against Samford Friday, with a guaranteed second match on Saturday. If the Hoosiers win on Friday, their match on Saturday will be for a prestigious spot in the ITA national tournament.The weight of the weekend was not lost on IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal.“It’s a lot of pressure,” Bloemendaal said. “In the next 48 hours, how we deal with that pressure and how we unify as a team is going to be important.”Bloemendaal tried to shift attention away from the possible rewards of two victories this weekend and focused instead on beating Samford Friday.He said in order to beat Samford, the Hoosiers will need to improve their play in singles matches.“In singles we’re still trying to figure out our identity and once we figure that out we’re going to do better and better,” Bloemendaal said. “We have to find one more guy at the bottom.”Bloemndaaal said experience does matter in these matches. “That’s where Dima (Dimitirije Tasic) and Sven (Lalic) need to step up,” Bloemendaal said. “If they set the tone it makes a big difference in this match.”Tasic and Lalic struggled against Kentucky last Tuesday, both losing their singles matches. Their joint effort in doubles also came up well short as they failed to win a game.Bloemendaal said he believes if the Hoosiers start coming together they can beat anybody, even the defending national champions.“I think we’ve got a couple of guys who are the best players in the country who can beat anybody,” Bloemendaal said. “It’s just getting them going in the right direction and getting them believing in each other.”Bloemendaal said how the Hoosiers need to be mentally tougher this weekend than they were in their loss at Kentucky.“These guys have competed over and over again for their spots,” Bloemendaal said. “It’s really about stepping up in big situations and playing big, getting a little gritty and standing up against the guy across the net.”The seventh-year coach said his team would not be affected by the stiff competition. “We want to play the best teams in the country because we want to be the best team in the country,” Bloemendaal said. “We’re not going there for the experience.”He said he believed the Hoosiers could not realistically win this weekend. Then he said that realism doesn't matter.“I don’t think any of our goals that we have set for this year are realistic,” Bloemendaal said. “If it’s realistic then why are we playing this season?”Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter @MichaelHughes94
(01/22/14 5:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>No. 56 IU fell 6-1 in Lexington against No. 8 Kentucky on Tuesday. The loss drops the Hoosiers to 0-1 for the spring season while the Wildcats improved to 4-0 on the season.The only Hoosier to record a singles victory for IU was sophomore Daniel Bednarczyk. Bednarczyk also recorded a victory in his doubles match with fellow sophomore Sam Monette.Monette however failed to replicate Bednarczyk’s performance in his singles match.“Dan played a pretty good match and I think he stepped up in the third set and did well,” IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “Sam was in the same situation and he did the opposite. He had an opportunity to really step up. He should have won.”Bloemendaal said there may have been other factors affecting Monette’s performance against the Wildcats.“The team went down and Sam didn’t handle it as well as he should have,” Bloemendaal said. “There’s some other things going on with Sam going into this situation and he wasn’t as prepared as he should be.”Despite Bednarczyk’s and Monette’s doubles victory, the Hoosiers failed to pick up the doubles point as they lost the other two matches. Bloemendaal said he felt this may have had an effect on the rest of the match.“In tennis if you end up losing a tight doubles point you end up getting rolled pretty quick in the first set of the singles,” Bloemendaal said. Bloemendaal said that it came down to a few players not playing well.“We had a couple guys hang in there and do really well, and we had a couple guys that didn’t,” Bloemendaal said.The two that didn’t were senior Dimitrije Tasic and junior Sven Lalic, who both lost in straight sets. Bloemendaal said he believed these two needed to lead the charge out of the doubles loss.“I didn’t think Sven did a good job all day long which was disappointing because he’s much better than that,” Bloemendaal said. “In both doubles and singles I thought he could have done a lot better. He didn’t handle the situation very well.”Bloemendaal also said multiple times that this loss came down to factors that did not concern tennis.“Even though their team is ranked high, our tennis was good enough today,” Bloemendaal said. “There were some lopsided scores but it wasn’t about the tennis. We were capable of playing with those guys and beating them. We had a couple of things go against us that happen on the road and we weren’t resilient enough.”Bloemendaal referenced some officiating decisions which did not go their way, a new scoring format and Kentucky’s arena having just four courts rather than the traditional six.“Overall, every situation you throw at me and you say ‘Hey, what about this adversity?’ I thought we underachieved with the way we handled that,” Bloemendaal said. “We’re capable of handling those situations much better. We were prepared to handle it and then we got out there and things were a little bit tougher than we were ready for.”The Hoosiers are in action again Friday as they travel to Charlottesville, Va. where they will play Samford.Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter @MichaelHughes94.
(01/21/14 3:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Tuesday afternoon the No. 56 IU men’s tennis team will travel to Lexington, Ky., to take on No. 9 Kentucky. The match will be the first dual match of the season for the Hoosiers, who are coming off an unsuccessful performance in the UCF Invitational to start the spring season.IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said the Hoosiers are more focused on improving as a team rather than immediate results early in the season.“Early season, our team is predominantly underclassmen,” Bloemendaal said. “We have 10 guys who are sophomores and freshmen, and four guys who are seniors and juniors.”Bloemendaal said it might take a month and a half before he truly understands how talented this team might be and what his top six might look like.The Hoosiers enter Lexington with a four-match losing streak to the Wildcats. This trend is nothing to be concerned about, Bloemendaal said.“I am not scared of that lineup,” Bloemendaal said. “They’ve got some talented guys, but we match up okay with those guys. I think it’s going to come down to how well we play at the bottom of the lineup and how well we’re going to do in doubles.”One advantage the Hoosiers could have is sophomore Sam Monette. Last year Monette was one of only two Hoosiers to win a match against the Wildcats. Monette did not make the trip to Orlando, Fla., a week ago for personal reasons, but he will likely be a key component in IU’s chances of taming the Wildcats.Bloemendaal had high praise for his team, saying it is one of the most talented in the country.However, the inaugural Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings do not back up Bloemendaal’s claim. In those rankings the Hoosiers have just one player in the top 100, junior Sven Lalic at No. 80. In comparison, the Wildcats have three players in the top 100. “You have to be healthy at the right times because there are just a few opportunities to really do well in the rankings,” Bloemendaal said. “There’s two tournaments, and if you’re playing well for those two tournaments and you’re healthy, I think Sam Monette is definitely a top 100 player. I think Dimitrije Tasic is somebody who would be knocking on the door, especially with what he did in the Big Ten singles.”Senior Dimitrije Tasic advanced to the finals of the Big Ten Singles Tournament in October before losing to Purdue senior Mark Kovacs. Tasic joins Monette as the only Hoosiers to win matches against the Wildcats.Bloemendaal emphasized the effect the bottom of his lineup will have on Tuesday’s match. He said he believes the best stories will come from the players who aren’t in the top three who step up.Bloemendaal said confidence may be important, considering the hostile location of the match, and he hopes this match will give him a measuring stick on how the team will perform on the road this season.“Crowds are tight in there,” Bloemendaal said. “They’re rough, and they like to beat Indiana. It doesn’t matter what sport it is. Those fans always want to be beat Indiana in everything.”Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter @MichaelHughes94.
(01/13/14 1:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers began their spring season in Orlando, Fla., this weekend at the UCF Invitational.While the invitational does not technically keep track of team scores, the head-to-head environment will prepare the Hoosiers for what they may see in Big Ten play. IU entered the tournament ranked No. 56 in the debut edition of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association 2014 rankings. The Hoosiers took on two teams ranked better than themselves, a first for the 2013-2014 season.This invitational will serve largely as an introduction to dual play, a format which the Hoosiers did not experience in the fall season.During the fall season, the Hoosiers mainly participated in singles tournaments. While in Orlando, they competed in their first team-oriented competition. “This tournament was the best possible way to prepare for the season,” IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said.The Hoosiers struggled the first two days, losing most of the matches they played against TCU, Louisville and Rice.Come Sunday, however, things changed for the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers went on to win 14 straight matches against the Citadel.Bloemendaal attributed this disparity to the Hoosiers’ late arrival in Orlando. A flight delay forced the Hoosiers to arrive several days late and kept them from feeling comfortable all weekend, Bloemendaal said. The Hoosiers will be one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten. They feature just one senior, Dimitrije Tasic, who failed to win a match all weekend in both singles and doubles play.“The youth of this team is going to be our biggest adversity,” Bloemendaal said. “This year we’re going to have to have some guys step up.”Sophomore Elliot Yee is one player who could step up for the Hoosiers. “I thought I played really strong and really competitive,” Yee said. “I came out on the bottom end earlier in the weekend, but as the weekend progressed I started playing a lot better.”Because of personal reasons, some of the Hoosiers’ top players could not make the trip to Orlando.Yee said even though the competition was tougher than he has faced before, he was still very competitive.This invitational will prepare the Hoosiers for dual matches later in the season.“We have a long way to go in establishing a culture and an atmosphere that we want on this team,” sophomore Michael Sellitto said. “Overall, I think we made good headway in establishing the kind of atmosphere that we want on this team.”Follow men’s tennis reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter at @MichaelHughes94.
(11/05/13 5:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the final tournament of the fall season for the IU men’s tennis team, sophomore Sam Monette and freshman Stefan Lugonjic traveled to Louisville to compete in the Louisville Invitational.Lugonjic advanced to the quarterfinals while Monette was able to win the Invitational with a victory over Luis Elizondo of Louisville, whom he defeated in straight sets.“The expectation is always there to win,” Assistant Coach Patric Hynes said. “We knew going in it was going to be a good tournament and he would have an opportunity to win.”Monette said serves were were more important in the match than normal because the tournament was indoors.Monette had to defeat two players from Louisville who had a vocal cheering section behind them.“The Louisville guys that he played were really his toughest matches,” Hynes said. “The final was a very pro-Louisville crowd especially.”Coach Hynes said Monette controlled his emotions well during the Invitational.“He did a really good job of managing his emotions,” Hynes said. “He got in a couple sticky situations, but he was able to do a good job of remaining calm.”Monette’s composure may help him lead a team with just one senior on its roster in the Big Ten season.“My main goal is to be a good leader for the younger players,” Monette said. “I also want to help them through tough moments and help them help the team out as much as they can.”Monette said he is looking to build upon a very successful freshman campaign that saw him finish 26-10.“I would like to be top 10 in the country and also to be undefeated at home,” Monette said.This victory wrapped up a successful fall season for the Hoosiers.“Dimitrije Tasic made the finals at the Big Ten’s a few weeks ago,” Monette said. “And now with me winning this tournament it will give not just me a lot of confidence, but our entire team has a lot of confidence.”Hynes also said Monette’s victory can propel the team into a successful Big Ten season in the spring.“We’ve had some good results this fall, and since this is the last tournament of the fall, I think it really gives us some good momentum going into the spring,” Hynes said.Hynes and Monette both said the team has worked hard to improve throughout the fall.“The whole team has been working hard, not just Sam,” Hynes said. “That’s really helping to push this whole group forward.”Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter @MichaelHughes94.
(10/28/13 3:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s tennis team traveled to West Lafayette during the weekend to compete in the Big Ten singles championships. IU senior Dimitrije Tasic came into the weekend looking to excel and make a deep run in the tournament, and he did just that. Tasic advanced to the finals where he will play fellow senior Mark Kovacs from Purdue. Monday will be the first time Kovacs and Tasic will play one another.“There’s a lot of good players. You have to be resilient,” IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “You are not going to be at your best every match, but overall, he played really solid.”In the semifinals Tasic defeated Northwestern freshman Strong Kirchheimer, one of the best talents in the Big Ten, according to Bloemendaal. Bloemendaal praised the effort from both players. “That was a really good match for both players. The other guy did not lose the match. Dimitrije won it,” he said.Bloemendaal also praised Tasic’s ability to keep fighting.“He was down a set in the semis against Kirchheimer, who was playing as well as you can play, and Dimitrije would just not let him win that second set,” Bloemendaal said.Tasic said there was never a moment in the match in which he felt that he was going to lose. He also tried to not focus on the possibility of playing for a Big Ten championship at all.“I completely tried not to think about that,” Tasic said. “One of the worst things to do in tennis is to think about the future.”Tasic lost the first set 4-6, the first time he lost the opening set all weekend. “He’s been very, very tough when the pressure’s on and really played big,” Bloemendaal said.Tasic will need to continue to play well under pressure, as the environment Monday morning will most likely be a lively one.“Tomorrow is going to be very tough because we are at Purdue, so it will be like an away match,” Bloemendaal said. “It’s very tough when everybody’s cheering right on top of you.”Bloemendaal said Kovacs is one of the most talented players in the Big Ten.“He’s played at the top of their line up since he was a freshman,” Bloemendaal said. “He’s got a lot of experience, and he’s really playing well right now.”Despite all of this, Bloemendaal is still expecting a lot out of his star senior. “Indiana’s won 25 national championship,” he said. ”That’s what we do at this University, so we expect him to go out and win. That’s the deal when you’re playing with our uniform on.”Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter @MichaelHughes94.
(10/25/13 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This weekend the IU men’s tennis team will travel north to West Lafayette to compete in the Big Ten singles championships.IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal has high expectations for both senior Dimitrije Tasic and sophomore Daniel Bednarczyk to compete for the overall championship this weekend. “The two guys that could do well in this tournament are Dimitrije and Dan,” Bloemendaal said. “Those two guys have prepared to win the tournament, and they have enough experience to do it.”Tasic is still recovering from a hip injury, but Bloemendaal seemed confident it would not deter him this weekend. “He’s had a little bit of like a hip injury going on, but he seems to be doing really well,” Bloemendaal said.Bloemendaal also expects success from Bednarczyk this weekend. “Dan had a really good summer, so there’s some high expectations for him. He went to an earlier tournament at Navy and did pretty well,” Bloemendaal said. “I’m ready for him to break through and do something in one of these tournaments.”IU is also sending a couple of freshmen to West Lafayette: Matthew McCoy and Kellen Bates. McCoy has already enjoyed some success this year, winning a doubles tournament while going undefeated at Navy to start the year. He hopes to carry that success into singles play this weekend.“I feel like I have the ability to go far in this tournament,” McCoy said. “I’m just trying to be mentally focused, believe in the work I’ve put in and just focus on one match at a time.”McCoy’s early success has surprised Bloemendaal.“Coming into the program, I would say McCoy was a minimum of a year away from doing anything in the Big Ten,” Bloemendaal said. “As we sit here right now, he’s definitely shortened that time period.“I really believe he’s going to be somebody in the program who’s going to help us win a championship. He’s a person who will not accept failure on any terms. He’s going to do whatever it takes to get better and make people around him better.”Fellow freshman Bates is simply trying to stay focused heading into this weekend. “It’s my first actual college tournament, so I haven’t really seen any other Big Ten competition like that, so it’s hard to set expectations,” Bates said.Overall, the teammates said they are not putting too much weight on the results from this weekend. “For me this tournament is just to see where they’re at, and then we can adjust the plan for them to improve,” Bloemendaal said. “It’s a lot of fun for me because I’m trying to get them to improve as quickly as possible, and this is one piece of the puzzle.”Bates also said this tournament will help him later in the year and that “it will be a nice precursor to the season.” He thinks this tournament will give him a good opportunity to see what Big Ten competition is like.“And hopefully it will inspire them to work at the rate they need to work at,” Bloemendaal said.Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter @MichaelHughes94.